What Causes Dry Eye?
The cause of dry eye can be environmental as well as patient-related. Spending long hours at screens such as a computer or improper use of contact lenses are common causes of dry eye.
Apart from this, some rheumatic diseases can also prepare the ground for dry eyes. The drugs used by the patient for the diseases he has can also cause dry eyes.
Hormonal drugs used for hormonal disorders in women, especially in the postmenopausal period; anti-systemic drugs used; and depression drugs that have been widely used in recent years are among the common causes of dry eye today.
The reasons that can be counted among the environmental factors are that the working environment is not humid enough and that you work under very high and bright light.
What are the symptoms of dry eye?
The most common complaints among dry eye patients are:
- sore eyes
- Combustion
- foreign body sensation
- In addition to these, there may be complaints such as eye pain, itching, and redness in the eyes. Patients with dry eyes may have difficulty with their previous activities. For example, they state that they are not as comfortable in front of the computer as they used to be or that their eyes get tired quickly.
Dry eye treatment methods
The most common treatments for dry eyes are artificial tear drops and gels. As a result of the evaluation of the patient by the physician, the most appropriate artificial tear preparation will be selected. Apart from this, precautions should be taken according to the patient's life practices:
A patient who is frequently in a humid environment can reduce the complaint of dry eye by making the environment more humid. A patient who does not pay much attention to the use of contact lenses, a patient who sleeps with lenses at night, or a patient who exceeds the wearing time can reduce dry eye complaints by paying attention to these.
Other treatments for dry eyes include the following:
In addition to the artificial tear preparations used for dry eye, some additional medications may be given to the patients.
In cases where these are not sufficient, the tear ducts can be closed with temporary plugs, and the patient's own tears and artificial tears may remain in the eye for a longer time.
Dry eye is a disease that seriously impairs the patient's quality of life. For this reason, even if dry eye does not cause any symptoms other than discomfort, it can lead to serious consequences when dry eye is accompanied by other diseases.
For example, in cases of dry eye accompanied by other diseases, the decrease in transparency of the transparent layer called the cornea in front of the eye may cause a decrease in vision. While these are rare conditions, it is very important to treat dry eye and to consider other treatments with an ophthalmologist if medications are not working.
