What is Dry Eye
Dry eye is a general term given to an array of eye conditions .
Most commonly, dry eye relates to compromised composition of your tears or a problem with the surface of the eye.
Your tears are made of 3 layers; one layer is a mucoid layer, second one an oily layer, and finally the third is a watery layer. A breakdown in the composition of these layers leads to most common presentations of dry eye. With these patients, it is the breakdown of the quality of the mucoid and oily tear layers which leads to dry eye. Our understanding of the mechanisms is still being unravelled as we have learned a lot about the inflammatory cells and mediators that are present in these layers.
Symptoms of Dry Eye
- gritty sensation
- foreign body feeling
- transient blurry vision
- red eye appearance
- excessive watery eye (paradox)
- photophobia (light sensitivity)
- irritability from smoke or wind
- diminished contact lens tolerance
Who Can Get Dry Eye?
- individuals with certain auto-immune conditions(where the immune system attracts oneself)
- individuals on medications with certain preservatives
- certain general body medicines can induce dry eye
- age related hormonal changes
- general body infections such as common cold and influenza infections
- chronic blepharitis -specific lid infection
- patient who have undergone refractive surgery such as LASIK
- individuals with disease of the surface of the eye.
If you feel you may be suffering from Dry Eye, book a consultation at our clinic, also see Dry Eye Clinic Page.