Chronic Dry Eye Causes and How to Treat Them
Chronic dry eye is a fairly common occurrence that could happen to anyone. It means that your eye lacks the moisture that should be on the surface of your eye leading to irritation and overall uncomfortable feeling.
It can vary from person to person, usually, it won’t be as serious, causing only subtle irritation that won’t go away, but in some cases, it could lead to complications like harsher inflammations and pain. That’s why it’s important to follow signs and symptoms and act on it on time, this way it could be easily taken care of!
Symptoms
Some of the easily recognizable symptoms of dry eye are itchiness and a constant burning sensation. Your eyes would feel drastically drier than usual causing an uncomfortable feeling, change of color is also a common occurrence – the eye usually gets red when it gets irritated. On the other hand, you can actually get watery eyes, as much as it sounds impossible to get watery eyes while the syndrome is called dry eye- it makes sense because your eye started to produce excess moisture to compensate for the dryness. In some harder cases, it could cause inflammations with blurred vision and long-lasting pain.
Treatments
Depending on the severity of the case, you should be able to get rid of dry eyes without a lot of effort. There are a lot of easy treatments that will ease your dry eye, even if it comes to inflammations. Common medicine like restasis is a great way to battle chronic dry eyes and it’s easily available. Depending on the cause itself, it will determine the treatment you will receive. It’s best to contact your doctor and talk to a professional about it before you decide on the treatment yourself! That way you’ll be safe and know exactly what to get to battle your eye problems!
Common Causes
Chronic dry eye is pretty common, but a lot of factors might cause it, it’s not as strict as some syndromes. Most often, people get dry eyes from wearing contact lenses too much, this way their eye doesn’t get as moisturized as it should, causing irritation and redness. Another factor that might be caused by your actions is being dehydrated – not drinking enough water daily can cause the eyes to feel dry. Looking at a computer screen is another self-inflicted factor that may play a role in your chronic dry eye syndrome. On the other hand, a lot of causes that might be done without your power and knowledge like autoimmune conditions, menopause, and vitamin A deficiency. Allergies are another factor that might cause your eyes to get irritated and sensitive as well! It’s important to determine what caused the dry eye in the first place – to know what to do in the future!
Untreated Dry Eye Consequences
Like any disease or injury, the chronic dry eye needs to be taken seriously, no matter how light or severe the symptoms might be. By treating it on time, you’ll avoid any complications and further problems that might cause permanent issues to your health. This way, you’ll ensure your health and the quality of your vision – so better be safe than sorry!
Risks and Specific Causes
Some people are actually more likely to get dry eyes than others! Risk groups can be determined by age – women in menopause are more likely to have dry eyes, the same goes for people with specific autoimmune disorders and syndromes. On the other hand, smokers, due to their constant exposure to hot smoke, are perfect candidates for dry eye. Everyone can be affected by this occurrence, even young people – especially ones who spend way too much time looking at their computer and mobile screens!
Further Prevention
There are ways to lessen the chances of getting dry eye if it isn’t caused by any internal factors. Avoiding wind exposure as much as possible, and also avoid smoke, regardless if you are a smoker yourself, at least try to avoid secondhand smoke as it can also cause dry eyes! Another useful tip is – just rest!
Resting your eyes is key, it’s totally easy to slip in the vicious cycle of looking at your screen all day, but it’s bad for your health in general, not just your sight. So taking breaks and resting your eyes regularly is a must to ensure the quality of your vision and overall health!
Things to Keep in Mind
At the end of the day, health should be a priority to anyone, and ignoring certain red flags and symptoms should be avoided as much as possible. Regardless of how much it’s affecting your daily life, checking it out and talking to a doctor is key to ensure the longevity of your wellbeing. The chronic dry eye might seem like a minor thing, easily swept under the rug, but it can get pretty bad. So try to avoid getting it and treat it well if you do!
