Dry Eye Syndrome: Causes, Treatment and Prevention
Eyes are one of the most delicate organs of our body. However, disorders like a dry eye syndrome can afflict them. This symptom is quite prevalent. It involves dryness in the eyes. It also causes a lack of sleep. However, that is not all. Features like a burning sensation and redness in the eyes also accompany such dryness. It also involves a lot of production of tears when eyes are, exposed to foreign bodies. Even a constant itching in the eyes apart from redness is a part of such a disorder. In this syndrome, the eyes also feel especially sensitive to light.
The reason for the characteristic aridness in the eyes in a dry eye syndrome is an excessive production of tears by the lachrymal gland. Apart from these glands, other kinds of glands that exist in eyes are the meibomian glands and goblet cells. These two parts produce other parts of tears. When any one of these glands does not produce the required part of tears, the patients develop the dry eye syndrome. Therefore, this syndrome happens when a swelling occurs in the lachrymal glands.
Such swelling causes them to produce tears in an insufficient quantity. Even a problem in the meibomian glands can also cause such a disorder. A bloating of these glands present at the periphery of the eye is responsible for dry eyes. Even people who are consuming medications frequently can develop dry eyes. The medicines, which can cause dry eyes, are antihistamines, decongestants and oral contraceptives.
Almost 10 to 30 percent of the population suffers from this disorder. In United States, this syndrome affects 90 million people. However, the existence of this syndrome is higher in people who are older than 40 years and in females. Hormonal changes can also lead to a lack of proper quantity of tears in the eyes.
Another reason, which leads to this syndrome, exists when a person undergoes through surgeries like LASIK, PRK and LASEK, which disturb the neural feedback loop system in eyes. Such surgeries introduce laser in the eyes, which can disturb the liquidity of eyes. Poor tears, which are a part of dry eye syndrome, can cause a lot of discomfort for people who have undergone such surgeries. Even the accuracy of the vision gets disturbed due to this ailment. The eyes of a patient suffering from this syndrome resist contact lens. Dry eyes also cannot support the use of contact lens. Since contact lenses need tears as moisture, dry eyes cannot support them. This is the reason why patients of dry eyes complain that their eyes feel dry after wearing contact lens.
It is easy to find about this syndrome through a simple clinical presentation by the doctor. If it is also easy to find about the cause of the disease, your comfort levels can be improved. Many causes can exist like a poor quality of the tears, lack of tear production or a disease. Such disease can be rheumatoid arthritis or SjÖgren syndrome. Such diseases cause dryness in the eyes.
Author Bio: SaJune Orlando Medical Center in Florida specializes in bioidentical hormones, hormone replacement therapy, anti-aging, detoxification, ob/gyn, nutrition and weight loss programs.
Category: Medicines and Remedies
Keywords: Dry Eye Syndrome