Vision Care

If you need to learn about dry eye care, you are not alone. Studies show that more than 3.2 million people in the United States need dry eye care. The condition is most prevalent in women; eight percent of women over the age of 50 in the United States need dry eye care.

What Are The Symptoms Of Dry Eyes?

Sufferers of dry eye syndrome experience:

* Burning eyes
* Scratchy eyes
* Stringy discharge in the eyes
* Excessive tearing
* Intolerance of smoke and wind
* Blurry vision

What Are the Causes Of Dry Eyes?

Dry eye syndrome is reportedly caused by one or more of three things:

* Inflammation occurring with autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis
* Sjogren’s disease can cause dry eyes
* Systemic lupus erythematosus

Another cause of excessively dry eyes comes from a problem with the outer layer of your tears that may permit rapid evaporation of the tear fluid. This condition is sometimes caused by insufficient testosterone in your body. It can also be caused by side effects of other medications, such as:

* Antihistamines
* Antidepressants
* Diuretics

These medications can interfere with your production of tear fluid.

Conservative Dry Eye Care Treatment

Dry eye care can be simple or complex, depending on what is causing your dry eye syndrome. If dry eyes are a side effect of a medication your doctor has prescribed for you, tell your doctor about your dry eye problems.

A substitute medication may be available that can treat your medical condition without causing your eyes to dry up. If no substitute is available, you may be able to diminish the side effect by decreasing the dosage of your medication.

Eye drops are only a temporary solution, but they can still provide much needed emergency relief to someone needing dry eye care. Remember, however, they are not a long-term solution for dry eye care, and they do nothing to treat or cure the underlying condition that causes the dryness.

Topical cyclosporine, which must be prescribed by your doctor, treats the inflammation that can cause dry eyes while it lubricates the eyes. Many patients report that they get fast relief from dry eye syndrome once they start using cyclosporine. This medical dry eye care treatment has very few, if any, side effects.

I suggest that you do something about your dry eyes. Dry eyes aren’t comfortable and the condition will not just go away on its own.

Remember that eye drops only provide temporary relief and are generally not healthy for your eyes, so limit their use. Drink a lot of water to keep your body hydrated, blink often, and whatever you do don’t rub your dry eyes.