IT'S NO SECRET THAT your eyes often become increasingly dry during the winter when they're exposed to cold temperatures and dry indoor heat. But they can become parched during warmer months, too, especially as you get older. This is partly because after age 40, the glands lining the upper and lower eyelids get clogged from inflammation, tear production tends to decrease and you end up with poorer quality tears, explains Dr. Robert Latkany, an ophthalmologist in New York City and author of "The Dry Eye Remedy." "Your eye needs to be covered with a healthy amount of tear film to prevent dryness." Often referred to as dry eye disease or dry eye syndrome, the condition of perennially parched eyes has been diagnosed in more than 16 million adults in the U.S., according to a study in the October 2017 issue of the American Journal of Ophthalmology. Those between the ages of 45 and 54 and those 75 and older are more likely to be diagnosed with the condition. Meanwhile, dry eyes are more common in women, due to the hormonal changes associated with pregnancy, use of oral contraceptives and menopause. Here are five other things you may not know about who's at risk for dry eyes and what to do about the condition: Your Health Status Can Affect the Moisture Level in Your Eyes Underlying medical conditions – such as allergies, diabetes, thyroid disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and rosacea – can reduce tear production. A study in a 2014 issue of the British Journal of Ophthalmology found that metabolic syndrome (a cluster of risk factors for heart disease and Type 2 diabetes) is associated with decreased tear secretion and a higher prevalence of dry eye. Moreover, certain medicines – including antihistamines, decongestants, some blood pressure medications and antidepressants – can leave your eyes feeling parched. Spending Hours Looking at Screens Contributes to Dry Eye Syndrome Whether it's because you work on a computer or you continuously shift between various digital devices (such as a computer, cellphone or tablet), all that screen time could be causing your eyes to become dry. The reason: "When you're looking at a digital device, your blink rate goes from 20 times a minute to three times a minute," says Dr. Marguerite McDonald, a clinical professor of ophthalmology at the NYU Langone Medical Center and an ophthalmologist and cornea specialist with Ophthalmic Consultants of Long Island. This drop in blink rate compromises the tear film and leads to dry eyes, as well as eyestrain. To counteract these effects, "it helps to lower your computer screen so there is less exposed eye tissue for evaporative tear loss and to take a 20-second break every 20 minutes while using a digital device," McDonald says. The Problem Isn't Just That Your Eyes Feel Dry Dry eyes also may be accompanied by a stinging, burning, sandy or gritty feeling in the eye, redness or irritation, episodes of blurred or fluctuating vision, eye fatigue, mild itching in the eye and light sensitivity, McDonald says. In addition, you might experience bouts of excessive tears following periods of severe dryness – or discharge from the eye – according to the National Institutes of Health's National Eye Institute. Relief for Dry Eyes Already May Be Within Reach For mild dry eyes, using over-the-counter artificial tears can help with lubrication during the day, and wearing wraparound sunglasses can help slow tear evaporation while you're outside, McDonald says. At night, inserting a bland, sterile OTC ointment into your eyes (such as Refresh P.M., Retaine PM, Bausch + Lomb Soothe or GenTeal PM) can help drive moisture into the tissues while you sleep. Taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements can help improve dry eyes, too. A study in a 2015 issue of the journal Contact Lens & Anterior Eye found that when people who use computers for more than three hours per day took two capsules of omega-3 fatty acids (each contained 180 mg of eicosapentaenoic acid, or EPA, and 120 mg of docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA) daily, their dry eye symptoms improved and their tear evaporation rate decreased after three months. Your Doctor Has Access to Stronger Measures If dry eyes are severe or persistent, despite these measures, talk to your doctor about whether stronger Rx eyedrops or in-office therapies may be appropriate for you. In 2016, a new prescription eyedrop called Xiidra (lifitegrast) gained Food and Drug Administration approval for the treatment of dry eye. "It's used twice a day, and it causes you to make more tears and higher quality tears," McDonald says. (Restasis drops, available by prescription, are also used twice a day.) Alternatively, in a simple office procedure, your ophthalmologist can insert punctal plugs – tiny tubes made of silicone, collagen or acrylic – into the small holes in the inside corner of the eye, near your nose; the procedure takes a matter of minutes and temporary plugs can last from a week to six months (at which point they dissolve). "These keep the eyes moist by plugging up the holes through which the tears might drain," Latkany explains. Another approach involves permanently closing the channels through which tears drain out of the eye and into the nose (with permanent but reversible plugs or punctal cautery, a procedure in which the tear duct opening is burned closed with a small tip cautery), McDonald says. If clogged oil glands on the lids are causing dry eyes, your ophthalmologist can clean them out with a thermal pulsation treatment. A single 12-minute session has been found to relieve symptoms for up to a year, according to research in a 2015 issue of Current Opinion in Ophthalmology. The take-home message: "A lot of people think dry eye is something you have to accept as you get older – that's not true," McDonald says. "You don't need to suffer. At every level of severity, there is a treatment approach that is very effective." Source
