Managing the symptoms of chronic dry eye can be an everyday battle. Moisturizing your eyes with lubricating eye drops may help in the short term, but what about solving the underlying problem?
Are you tired of dealing with dry, irritated, and itchy eyes? Keep reading to learn more about how to end chronic dry eyes!
Find the Underlying Cause
The first step in defeating chronic dry eyes is to determine what is causing them in the first place. Then, your eye doctor can develop a treatment plan to target the root issue.
Those who experience chronic dry eye have a problem with either their tear quantity or tear quality. If either or both are lacking, your tears will not adequately lubricate your eyes, and they will feel dry.
Tear quantity has to do with how many tears your eyes are producing. If your eyes are not making enough tears to hydrate the front surface, your eyes will be dry.
On the other hand, tear quality has to do with the health of the tears. Tears are made up of three components: oil, mucus, and water.
Each component has a duty that helps maintain the lubrication of the front of your eye, keeping it from becoming dry. The cause of dry eye is often poor-quality tears due to a lack of one of these components.
Many factors can contribute to the development of chronic dry eye, whether it be from not enough tears or poor-quality tears. Sometimes, age is a factor.
Other times, it can be due to a lack of hydration in the body. If you are not taking in enough water, your body does not have the critical component necessary to create more tears.
If the glands that produce the oil necessary for lubrication are not working correctly, the surface of your eye will not be moisturized. Whatever the cause of your dry eye may be, your eye doctor will be able to come up with a treatment plan to help improve your symptoms.
Lifestyle Changes to Promote Healthy Eyes
You can make some changes that may help improve your dry eye on your own. Diet and exercise are the keys to a healthy body, including your eyes.
Make sure you eat balanced meals and stay hydrated to keep your eyes healthy. Your eye doctor may recommend adding more omega-3s or vitamin A into your diet, as those have shown to aid in the moisturization of your eyes.
You can also alter your environment to protect your eyes. Dry air can cause your eyes to feel dry and irritated.
Try adding a humidifier to the rooms you are in the most in your home. Your eye doctor may also recommend increasing your use of artificial tears to help your eyes stay lubricated.
Dry Eye Treatments
Try as you might, you may not be able to solve your dry eye entirely on your own. Many effective dry eye treatments are available, and your eye doctor can discuss your options with you.
Your eye doctor may recommend prescription eye drops to help treat dry eyes. By determining the root cause of your dry eye, your eye doctor will be able to decide on the best treatment to help improve your symptoms.
Do you want to learn more ways to improve your chronic dry eye symptoms? Schedule an appointment at Stahl Eyecare Experts in Garden City, NY, today!
