3 Signs That Your Dry Eyes May Need Treatment
Do you suffer from dry, itchy eyes? Have home remedies failed to relieve your pain and discomfort?
Something serious could be going on with your eyes if drops, humidifiers, and compresses haven’t relieved your dry eye symptoms. It may be time to schedule an appointment with your eye doctor.
Keep reading to learn why your dry eyes may need treatment!
1) You Have Red, Irritated, and Burning Eyes
If you often feel a burning or stinging sensation in your eyes, you may have dry eye syndrome. This is a common condition affecting millions of people every year.
Your eyes become irritated because they’re losing moisture or are not able to stay hydrated. When you have dry eye syndrome you may feel like there is something in your eye that you can’t get out or your eyes water a lot.
Did you know your tears have three components? These include oils, water, and mucus.
The main reason that dry eye syndrome occurs is you either produce low-quality tears or you don’t produce enough tears. When there is a change in the quality of your tears, it affects how your eyes feel.
There are many reasons why you may get dry eye syndrome including:
- Certain medications
- Aging
- Contact lenses are irritating your eyes
- There is too much smoke, wind, or dry air in your environment
- Excessive screen use
2) Your Eyes Are Not Producing Healthy Tears
When your eyes are feeling dry and irritated do you notice that they’re producing a lot of tears? Usually, when eyes get infected they’ll constantly water, or tear, in an attempt to heal themselves.
But if you have evaporative dry eye, your tears may evaporate and not provide you any relief. Evaporative dry eye, also known as meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), is a common eye disorder.
MGD occurs when the oil-producing meibomian glands get clogged. This results in a shortage of natural oil that keeps your tears from evaporating.
Without these oils, your tears evaporate quickly and your eyes stay dry and irritated.
Some common symptoms of evaporated dry eye are:
- Burning
- Dryness
- Sensitivity to light
- Blurred vision
Prescription antibiotics, lubricating eye drops, and warm compresses are common treatments for MGD. For patients with MGD, another treatment to consider is LipiFlow. Talk to your eye doctor if you want to learn more about this revolutionary MGD procedure!
3) Your Eyelids Are Crusty
Do you have a crusty, flaky substance on your eyelashes? How about swollen and itchy eyes?
You may have blepharitis. Blepharitis occurs when you have too much bacteria on your eyelids and eyelashes.
Blepharitis is not contagious but it does affect people of all ages. If left untreated, it can lead to blurred vision, eye infections, and eyelash problems.
Washing your eyelids with soap and water daily can help, as well as eye drops and warm compresses. You’ll need to avoid eye makeup to allow your eyes to heal.
Your eye doctor will also likely prescribe an antibiotic to apply to your eyelid. If that doesn’t clear it up completely then they may prescribe an oral antibiotic.
Don’t put off treatment for your dry eyes any longer. Schedule an appointment at Pinke Eye Center in Shelton, CT to find out why your eyes are dry and irritated. Schedule your appointment today!
