If you are suffering from dry eyes, you will know what a pain in the …eye it is. With a huge increase of dry eyes sufferers in the wider population, in large due to lifestyle, the need for assessment and treatment has never been greater.

Dry Eye is particularly common in those over 40 and is more common in women than men.

Dry eyes can be affected by many factors including environment, occupation, age, laser surgery, hormones and the weather.

Conditions such as arthritis, thyroid problems, Lupus, Sjögren’s syndrome and certain medications can cause dryness.

You may also be more prone to dry eye if you wear contact lenses, read a lot or work on a computer.

Dry Eye Symptoms:

Symptoms of dry eyes include:

  • Surprisingly – Watery eyes
  • Burning sensation
  • Itchy Eyes
  • Aching sensations
  • Heavy eyes
  • Fatigued eyes
  • Sore eyes
  • Dryness sensation
  • Red Eyes
  • Photophobia –sensitivity to light
  • Blurred Vision
  • Sticky/Crusty eyelashes
  • Foreign body sensation/gritty eyes.

In addition to these symptoms, dry eyes can cause inflammation and (sometimes permanent) damage to the surface of the eye. Dry eye disease also can affect the outcomes of Lasik and cataract surgery.

But the good news is that you do not have to put up with the symptoms.

What is Dry Eye Disease? (aka Dry Eye Syndrome or Occular Surface disease)

Dry eye is often caused by a problem with your tears. When you blink you leave a thin layer, called the tear film, over the front of your eye (cornea). The tear film keeps the cornea healthy, and it also helps the eye focus properly, giving you clear vision. It also helps to fight infection at the front surface of the eye.)

If the tear film balance is incorrect the tears do not stay on the eye long enough, they evaporate and your eyes dry out more quickly.

Conditions such as Blepharitis (an inflammation of the eyelids), Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) (blockage of the oil secreting ducts in the eyelid) and Demodex (a microscopic type of face mite living inside of human hair follicles. Almost everyone has Demodex mites living on their skin and in their pores, particularly the:

  • Eyelashes
  • Cheeks
  • Forehead
  • Outside of ear canals
  • Sides of the nose

They usually don’t cause any problems, but too many can cause dry eye disease and/or skin conditions.) can exacerbate dry eye symptoms.

Until recently there was no cure for blepharitis, but if you have blepharitis you can now have BlephEx or Zest treatment. This will reduce discomfort and red eye and kick start a recovery from blepharitis. You can also be treated for MGD & Demodex

For more severe dry eye cases, you can be fitted with punctal plugs which offer a more permanent solution, considerably reducing or eliminating the need for lubricating drops. You will be examined to see if you are suitable to try punctal plugs.

Dry eye is worth treating, even if you feel you can live with the symptoms. A dry surface to your eye, a little like dry skin, makes you more prone to infections such as cysts, styes, and conjunctivitis and make you miserable.

Here, at Gavzey Opticians, we see the misery dry eyes are causing and we are determined to help. With our new state of the art equipment, MYAH, we are now able to diagnose the cause of your dry eyes and treat your condition based on the results. You may need several different treatments or a course of treatments to manage your condition.

We also carry a wide range of products that we recommend, for you to purchase and continue to treat yourself at home.