Dry eye is an irritating and inconvenient condition, causing eyes to feel gritty and dry as well as well as causing them to water a lot. It’s caused by blockages in the oil-producing glands in the eyelids. This in turn causes the water in tears to evaporate more quickly than normal because of the lack of oil. 9 out of 10 dry eye symptoms are caused by Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).
Symptoms of dry eyes
- Burning and redness
- Tiredness
- Sensation of something in your eye
- Sensitivity to light
- Watery eyes
- Worsens through the day
- Blurred vision
- Uncomfortable contact lenses
The good news is, you don’t need to keep suffering from dry eyes as there are treatments available to stem the symptoms and treat the causes.
Short term relief
You can try the following to keep your eyes moist. This a short term solution, so you may want to consider taking long-term action, however the tips below can certainly cease irritation for a while:
- Ensure your eyes are kept clean
- Take breaks to rest your eyes when using a computer/digital device
- Make sure your screen is at eye level to avoid straining your eyes
- Use artificial tears to help moisten the eyes
- Use an air humidifier to stop the air getting dry
- Get plenty of sleep to rest your eyes
- If you wear contacts, ensure you allow plenty of time when you don’t wear them to rest your eyes. Wear your glasses instead.
Combat the root cause
The tips above will help your eyes stay moist for the short-term. However, you may want to consider targeting the cause of MGD rather than just treating it. LipiFlow sends gentle pulses of heat and pressure to clear the blocked glands, allowing them to function normally again.
It’s a revolutionary treatment, and best of all it's virtually painless. Eyepieces are placed on the patient’s eyelids, where they apply gentle heat and intermittent pressure to unblock the glands.
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