6 Signs It’s Time To Treat Your Dry Eye
Millions of people struggle with dry eye as it is one of the most common eye problems worldwide. Many of these people live with the symptoms which is both unnecessary and dangerous.
Untreated dry eye can lead to other problems such as corneal ulcers and abrasions. Dry eye treatment is easy and painless! Keep reading for 6 signs that it’s time to treat your dry eye!
Redness
When our eyes become irritated, the blood vessels become swollen. This causes them to take on a red appearance which makes us look fatigued and run down.
Grittiness
Also known as foreign body sensation, you may notice a feeling as though something is stuck in your eye. This may feel like a grain of sand, even though nothing is there.
Irritation
The most notable symptom of dry eye is the irritation that it causes. It is important to resist the urge to rub your eyes when they are itchy. Excessive rubbing could cause bigger problems down the line.
Light Sensitivity
Besides irritation, light sensitivity is another form of pain that can occur from dry eye.
Watery Eyes
Although it sounds counter-intuitive, your body produce excess tears with dry eye. The eyes do this to make up for the dryness of your eyes.
Fatigue
The stress that dry eye puts on you cannot only tire out your eyes, but it can leave you feeling exhausted.
How to Treat Dry Eye
Dry eye can and should be treated with a variety of methods. You should be managing the symptoms safely and correctly.
You should also work on identifying and targeting the source of your discomfort. Dry eye is much easier to treat when you know the root cause of your symptoms.
Since dry eye can stem from many different causes, you may need a few different tactics.
One of the first things you should be doing is using eye drops. What kind of eye drops depends on the severity of your dry eye.
You should apply eye drops by pulling down on your lower lid and aiming the dropper into the pocket. Never touch the applicator tip to any part of your body and always wash your hands before using eye drops.
You can also change your environment to help prevent dry eye. Keep your windows closed and rely on AC during the summer. This is to prevent allergens from blowing inside.
Use humidifiers to raise the ambient air moisture in your house. Dust frequently with damp rags so particles don’t become airborne.
If your dry eye is bad enough, you may need a doctor’s help. Treating dry eye may mean using punctal plugs.
Punctal plugs are inserted into your eyes drainage systems. These plugs force tears to stay on the surface of the eye longer.
Your doctor may recommend that you receive gland expression therapy as well. Gland expression therapy helps unblock the oil glands in your eyelids. This helps to prevent your tears from evaporating.
Tired of your frustrating dry eye symptoms? Find out the best way to stop your dry eye by scheduling an appointment at Pinke Eye Center in Shelton, CT today!
