When the eyes do not produce enough tears, or the tears evaporate too quickly (due to blocked or abnormal oil glands), Dry eye syndrome can occur. The eyes can become inflamed and irritated as the eyes dry out. If you were working from home whilst COVID-19 was at its height you may have found that too much screen time or more online meetings caused your eyes to feel dry and tired.
Some of the common symptoms of Dry Eye may include:
- Excessive watering
- Dryness
- Burning, stinging or itching
- Grittiness or the feeling that there's something in your eye
- Tired or red eyes
- Irritation from wind or smoke
Dry eye can be caused by a wide variety of everyday factors and may include:
- The dry environment caused by central heating and air conditioning
- Not blinking enough with concentrated tasks such as watching TV, computer use and driving
- Blepharitis (inflamation of the eyelids)
- General health problems such as arthritis
- Some medications may make your mouth dry and will probably also have a drying effect on your eyes
- Any eye drops which contain preservatives may reduce the effectiveness of your own tears. This is why all of our products are preservative-free
- Getting older! Unfortunately none of us can stop this from happening, but our tear quality and quantity changes as we get older
There is no real cure because there are so many factors involved. However, there are a number of different strategies that may help reduce the severity of the symptoms.
- Use humidifiers near radiators or maybe turn the air conditioning down
- Take regular breaks to rest your eyes if you do a lot of computer work
- Good lid hygiene (using Blephaclean wipes)
- Using The Eye Bag to warm the eyelids to help clear any blocked oil glands along the edges of the eyelids
- Use preservative-free artificial tear drops, such as Hyabak or Thealoz Duo
