What is Dry Eye?

Dry eye is a chronic disease and is certainly not sight threatening. However, it can impact quality of life and may progress as you get older and won’t improve on it’s own.

What are the symptoms of dry eye disease? 

Symptoms of dry eye disease include burning, stinging, irritated eyes, red eyes, sensitivity to light. More include contact lens wear, fluctuation in vision, blurry vision and grittiness.

So we’re going to talk about dry eye. Ironically, another common symptom of dry eye includes watery eyes. This is due to the tears not draining effectively. The tear quality/quantity being compromised. Therefore causing excess tearing and watery eyes.

I know the older we get the less tears we produce and certainly when I wear contact lenses. I find that I can’t wear them for as long as I used to. Why is that?

So we’re going to talk about dry eye. Ironically, another common symptom of dry eye includes watery eyes. This is due to the tears not draining effectively and the tear quality/quantity being compromised. Therefore causing excess tearing and watery eyes.

I know the older we get the less tears we produce and certainly when I wear contact lenses, I find that I can’t wear them for as long as I used to. Why is that?

Contact lens wear can increase the risk of dry eye. The contact lens material can deprive the cornea of oxygen which can affect the tear film and increase symptoms such as that gritty feeling, discomfort, and irritation.

I’m also at my computer long hours throughout the day. Although I’m an Optician, I know I don’t blink as often as I should. Have you got any any tips on how to remind myself and why is it important to blink?

So it’s really important to blink often with full complete blinks to renew the tear film on the ocular surface. Dry eye is common. We have certainly seen an increase in dry eye over the lockdown due to increased digital use which causes reduced blinking. A really good tip I give my patients is to encourage frequent and complete blinking. This can be done by sticking mini post it notes on either side of the screen so when you are reading or typing on your PC, the post it notes will be a good reminder for you to blink.

The good news is that if you have a dry eye, there are lots of things you can do to keep your eyes healthy and stay comfortable. 

I’m super holistic. Does drinking more water help with dry eyes? 

Increasing your water intake will help. So there’s a number of daily things we can change in our lifestyle to help reduce dry eyes. As dry eye is a chronic condition, it’s really hard to completely eliminate it so it really does start with lifestyle changes. This includes drinking more water, nutritional supplements such as omega-3 fish oil, blinking exercises and artificial tears drops.

So if I were to come to one of your specialist clinics what would I expect? How much does it cost? 

Our consultations are £60. It’s not a standard eye exam and there are other specialized tests that we conduct to diagnose and treat the dry eyes. Myself and my team have undergone specialist training for dry eyes. The tests we do include measuring the tear quality and quantity, presence of inflammation in the tears and meibomian gland analysis. We are also proud partners of AOS, which is the latest technology in digital imaging software for the front surface of the eyes. This allows precise diagnosis and the images to educate our patients on this condition.

We are also proud to have our new Dry Eye Spa treatment room where we can treat meibomian gland dysfunction and other common dry eye conditions. Using specialist eye masks, treat this condition which really helps relieve symptoms for the patient as well as providing a relaxed and spa like experience during the treatment.

We will also advise on a suitable treatment plan to help alleviate symptoms. Aim to give our patients a better quality of life, which is very rewarding for us.

Well I think that if you’re feeling uncomfortable gritty eyes red eyes itchy eyes that you really need to come to Wood Street Opticians. These guys are experts and I know Sharon is super passionate about dry eyes so give us a call!