eyecenterofny.com
It all started in after I had Lasik surgery many years ago now. I had grown tired of wearing glasses and contact lenses so I decided the have laser corrective surgery to free me from near sightedness. I had been wearing glasses and contact lenses since about 8th grade because I couldn't read the board at school. It was an amazing thing once I had glasses because suddenly I could see the leaves on the trees which previously usually just a green blob unless I was really close.
I did lots of research and found the best surgeon that was relatively close to where I was living. It still entailed a three hour drive each way but I was ready to ditch the glasses for good. After surgery I could see great, better than 20/20! But then my eyes started to feel gritty, watery, and burning a lot of the time. I had developed dry eye syndrome...
Dry eye syndrome is a disease that can affect anyone, however women over fifty have the highest number of sufferers percentagewise. There are multiple potential causes including insufficient tear production, eyelid gland dysfunction, eye surgery, and autoimmune diseases t name a few. But they all result in dry problematic eyes.
Most of the time after Lasik surgery dry eyes are common but usually go away over months. Mine did to up to a point. But I ended up using lubricant drops several times a day to keep the symptoms at bay. Certain things always make it worse such as fans (especially ceiling fans), wind, air travel, and extended use of my laptop or smart phone. The burning, grittiness, and watering returns quickly if I'm not careful to keep my eyes lubricated and avoid environments that made it worse. I've had times I needed prescription strength treatment to adequately calm my eyes down.
If you are suffering from any of the above symptoms it's a good idea to set up an appointment with an Ophthalmologist (not Optometrist.) They can guide you through options to make your eyes less symptomatic and improve you overall quality of life. Here are some tips to help you out if you are having symptoms of dry eyes.
- Avoid fans and blowing air from vents blowing into your eyes.
- When you buy eyedrops avoid any that say "Keep the red out", because they make the blood vessels constrict and often the chemicals can make dryness worse.
- Look for eyedrops that are preservative free, many drops in bottles come with preservatives to avoid contamination. Unfortunately they can further irritate your eyes if used too frequently (more than four times a day.) Drops without preservative won't cause this problem but can be more expensive.
- When walking outside in the wind wear wrap around sunglasses to keep the wind from irritating your eyes.
If these steps aren't helping you should get in with an Ophthalmologist to pursue other treatment modalities that often involve a prescription as soon as possible. Life really is much more pleasant when your eyes aren't constantly hurting and watering! Feel free to ask any questions or comments below.
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