What causes dry eyes and what are the potential solutions? - Stephen Olwell Opticians

Have you ever felt an eyelash stuck in your eye, or a piece of grit or sand on a windy day? Have you ever felt your eyes water uncontrollably after getting shampoo or shower gel into them? This can be very uncomfortable and irritating but luckily for most, it goes away very quickly. However some people find that their eyes feel like this every day, for part of the day or for all day.

This is a condition known as dry eye, and while it is very common, a lot of people don’t know that they have it and they suffer in silence.

In this week’s column, I’m going to tell you a little about the causes of dry eyes and the potential solutions.

First of all: What is dry eye?

Dry eye is a condition where we don’t have enough quantity of tears, or our tears are not of good enough quality, or do not spread evenly across the surface of the eye. You may think that we only use tears to show emotion, at weddings and funerals, but our tears are a natural barrier to dust, grit and bacteria, and they keep our eyes moist and healthy. 

Tears are made up of a mixture of water (for moisture), oil (to stop the water evaporating), and a tacky mucous layer (to stick it all to the eye).

All of these components need to be in perfect balance to keep the eyes feeling good. Dry eye is becoming more and more common in all ages of people and has its roots in how we live, work and eat. 

What are the symptoms of dry eye?

Dry eye has many symptoms and people may experience one or all of these.
● Red Eyes
● Burning sensations in the eyes
● Tired eyes
● Sticky eyelids
● Blurred vision which clears when you blink

What causes dry eyes?

Dry eyes can be caused by lots of things including:
● Ageing
● Hormonal changes in women
● Environmental conditions such as air conditioning and computer use
● Poor diet
● Inflammatory medical conditions
● Eye surgery

What can you do about it?

The treatment for dry eyes is different depending on the cause and the length of time that the problem has been there, but there are always steps that you can take even prior to treatment. Improvements to diet can help, for example ensuring you drink an adequate amount of water and increasing your intake of omega 3 oils, found in fish, flaxseed and nuts.

Blinking more can help, especially for computer users. When you use a computer, you should take a break every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away, and blink 20 times. This is called the 20:20:20 rule. 

Avoid using AirCon in the car, or point the air at feet and windscreen, rather than at the face. If all of these fail to give any lasting improvements, then it may be time to check in with your optician. We can assess the eyes, lids and lashes for signs of more stubborn causes of dryness and then help you by providing a more detailed treatment tailored to you.

Visit your local optician and find out how we can help! 

Stephen Olwell Opticians
10 Grafton Court
Longford
Co. Longford
Info@longfordopticians.com

043-3342653
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