Dry Eyes

Dry eye is a common condition that occurs when your eyes don’t produce enough lubrication, or when your tears evaporate too quickly. Tears are essential for keeping your eyes healthy and comfortable. They help to:

• Wash away dust and debris.
• Nourish the surface of your eye.
• Provide clear vision.

When your tears aren’t doing their job properly, you can experience a range of uncomfortable symptoms.

There are two main types of dry eye:

• Aqueous-deficient dry eye: This type occurs when your tear glands don’t produce enough tears.
• Evaporative dry eye: This type occurs when your tears evaporate too quickly, often due to problems with the oily layer of your tears that helps prevent evaporation.

Both types of dry eye can lead to similar symptoms and require different treatment approaches.

Dry eye isn’t just caused by one thing. Many factors can contribute to or worsen this common condition. Here are some of the most common causes:

• Age: Tear production naturally declines with age, making dry eye more common in older adults.
• Hormonal Changes: Women are more likely to experience dry eye due to hormonal fluctuations during menopause or pregnancy.
• Autoimmune Diseases: Certain autoimmune diseases, like Sjogren’s syndrome, can attack tear glands and cause severe dry eye.
• Medications: Some medications, such as antihistamines, antidepressants, and blood pressure medications, can have dry eye as a side effect.
• Blepharitis: This condition causes inflammation of the eyelids, impacting the oil glands that help lubricate the eye.

• Dry Air: Low humidity, whether due to weather conditions or indoor heating/air conditioning, can cause tears to evaporate more quickly.
• Wind and Smoke: Exposure to wind or smoke can irritate the eyes and contribute to dryness.
• Air Conditioning: Air conditioners often dry out the air, worsening dry eye symptoms.
• Prolonged Screen Use: Staring at computer screens, tablets, and smartphones can lead to reduced blinking, which is essential for maintaining a healthy tear film.

• Contact Lens Wear: Contact lenses can sometimes interfere with the tear film, leading to dryness and discomfort.
• Insufficient Blinking: We naturally blink less when concentrating, especially on screens, reducing tear distribution and increasing evaporation.

Dry eye can manifest in various ways, and its symptoms can range from mild and occasional to severe and persistent. Here are some common signs to look out for:

• Dryness: A persistent dryness or scratchiness in your eyes, as if something is stuck in them.
• Grittiness: A sensation of having sand or grit in your eyes, leading to discomfort and the urge to rub them.
• Burning or Stinging: A burning or stinging sensation in your eyes, which can be particularly bothersome in the morning or evening.
• Blurry Vision: Dry eyes can cause your vision to blur or fluctuate, making it difficult to focus.
• Redness: The whites of your eyes may appear red and irritated due to inflammation caused by dryness.
• Sensitivity to Light: You may experience increased sensitivity to bright lights, finding them uncomfortable or even painful.
• Watery Eyes: Ironically, dry eyes can sometimes lead to excessive tearing, as the eyes try to compensate for the lack of lubrication.
• Stringy Mucus: You may notice a stringy, white discharge in the corners of your eyes, particularly upon waking up.

Your optometrist will perform various tests to assess the severity and type of your dry eye. These tests may include:

• Tear Film Assessment: Evaluating the quality and stability of your tear film.
• Schirmer’s Test: Measuring the amount of tear production.
• Corneal Staining: Using special dyes to assess the health of your cornea and identify any damage caused by dryness.

Based on the diagnosis, your optometrist will recommend a personalised treatment plan that may include:

Over-the-Counter Remedies

• Artificial Tears: These lubricating eye drops provide temporary relief from dryness and irritation.
• Lubricating Ointments: Thicker than eye drops, ointments provide longer-lasting lubrication, often used at night.

Prescription Medications

• Anti-Inflammatory Eye Drops: Reduce inflammation in the eyelids and eye surface, improving tear production and quality.
• Tear-Stimulating Medications: Help increase tear production for those with aqueous-deficient dry eye.

In-Office Procedures

• Punctal Plugs: Tiny plugs inserted into the tear ducts to slow tear drainage, keeping the eyes lubricated for longer.
• Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Therapy: A non-invasive treatment that uses pulses of light to reduce inflammation and improve the function of the oil glands in the eyelids.

While dry eyes themselves don’t directly cause tiredness or fatigue, the discomfort and strain associated with the condition can certainly contribute to a feeling of tiredness. When your eyes are dry, they often feel scratchy, gritty, and irritated. Your vision may also blur, and you might experience headaches or sensitivity to light. These symptoms can make it challenging to focus on tasks, read comfortably, or use digital devices for extended periods. As a result, you may feel mentally and physically drained, leading to a sense of tiredness.

Additionally, the constant effort to blink more frequently and relieve the dryness can also contribute to fatigue. If you’re experiencing tiredness along with dry eye symptoms, it’s essential to consult with an optometrist. They can assess your eye health, diagnose the underlying cause of your dry eyes, and recommend appropriate treatments to alleviate your symptoms and improve your overall well-being.

Unfortunately, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to whether dry eyes can be cured. It largely depends on the underlying cause of your dry eye. For some individuals, addressing lifestyle factors like reducing screen time or using a humidifier might be enough to alleviate symptoms and effectively “cure” their dry eyes. However, for others, dry eye might be a chronic condition caused by underlying medical conditions, medications, or age-related changes. In these cases, while a complete cure might not be possible, various treatments and management strategies can effectively control symptoms, provide relief, and improve your quality of life. The key is to work with your optometrist to identify the specific cause of your dry eye and create a personalized treatment plan to address your unique needs.

The idea of reversing myopia, or nearsightedness, is a hopeful one, but unfortunately, it’s not currently possible to completely reverse the condition. Myopia is primarily caused by the shape of your eye – either the eyeball being too long or the cornea being too curved. While glasses, contact lenses, and even refractive surgery like LASIK can correct your vision by refocusing light onto the retina, they don’t fundamentally alter the shape of your eye.

However, there’s promising research in the field of myopia management, particularly for children and teenagers. These techniques aim to slow down the progression of myopia, potentially preventing it from worsening over time. Options like specialised contact lenses, atropine eye drops, and increased outdoor time show potential in reducing the rate of myopia progression. While these methods don’t reverse existing myopia, they offer hope for managing the condition and reducing the risk of future complications associated with high myopia. If you’re concerned about myopia, consult with an optometrist to discuss the best options for your individual needs.