Simple Home Remedies For Dry Eyes| Causes| Symptoms

Simple home remedies for dry eyes are essential to know for people with chronic dry eye syndrome, or people with temporary dry eye symptoms, and those are a huge number of populations around the world.

Dry eye is an irritating syndrome that drives a person into a state of annoyance due to severe annoying sensations and may lead to sight impairment. What happens when tears are inadequate in volume or quality on the surface of your eyes. So let’s take a look at what is dry eye syndrome and what exactly are its symptoms? 

Dry Eye definition, symptoms, and complication:

Simply, Dry eye is a medical condition that occurs when there is an imbalance in tears on the surface of your eyes, however, this imbalance is about the volume of tears or quality of tears produced by glands.

Volume imbalance of tears are due to:

1. Less production of tears

2. Over drainage of tears produced
   

To discuss the quality of tears, let’s mention how tears work; tears consist of 3 layers;

1. Oil layer, the outer layer which prevents tears from evaporating so quickly.

2. water layer, the middle layer, and highest volume, it washes the eye from foreign particles.

3. Mucus layer, the inner layer which makes tears stick to the eye and adequate spread on the eye surface,

And it's worth mentioning that tears include lysozymes which act as antibacterial substances as part of innate immunity.

Quality of tears is maintained when tear layers are all healthy and intact, some factors lead to change in the composition of tears and may cause dry eye syndrome.

Some simple home remedies for dry eyes are important to enhance the production of tears, or improve the quality of tears to keep your eye healthy and overcome dry eye symptoms which are mainly:

1. Itching sensation

2. The sensation of foreign particles in the eyes

3. Stinging and burning eyes

4. Redness, and sometimes painful eyes

Most of the times dry eye syndrome is mild to moderate and hasn’t any serious conditions, however, here are some of the complications that may occur as a result of dry eye:

1. Disability to wear eye lenses

2. Disability to drive

3. Headache

4. Corneal ulcer

5. Conjunctivitis

6. Depression

The importance of dry eye syndrome is derived from the fact that almost 50 % of all adult populations have this medical condition, 16 million adults have been diagnosed according to the American Journal of Ophthalmology, estimating around 30 million will be diagnosed by 2022. 

It’s not necessary to visit your doctor every time you feel symptoms of dry eye, simple home remedies for dry eye can relieve your annoying sensation, and enhance the quality of life.

Causes and diagnosis of dry eyes:

As we agreed, Dry eye is a common medical condition with various symptoms and complications.

Also, multiple causes can be classified as:

1. Age, while you are aging, 50 years old and above, you have a greater tendency to have dry eyes.

2. Gender, as dry eye is related to hormone changes, women have more tendency to develop dry eyes over men, especially with pregnancy, contraceptive pills, or during and after menopause.

3. Environmental conditions, such as windy climate, smoke, and dry conditions.

4. Lifestyle, like exposure to computer and cell phone screens for a long time due to work, heavy smoking, and alcohol.

5. Certain medications, as blood pressure medications, antihistamine and anti-depressants can reduce the production of tears.

6. Medical conditions, such as diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid malfunction, and other conditions like LASIK and prolonged lens use will affect the production of tears and cause dry eyes.

We have all exposed to one factor or more causing dry eye syndrome, and the fact is, temporary wise, we had symptoms once at least for dry eye, if you visited a doctor for dry eye symptoms, he will, first of all, ask you some questions regarding patient history, other medical conditions, and concomitant medications, also questions regarding work environment and lifestyle before examining your eye to make sure of eyelid structure.

Doctors may need to measure the quantity and quality of tears produced using special dyes that highlight any abnormalities, then a wide range of remedies may be prescribed accordingly but yet simple home remedies for dry eye are working effectively.

Simple home remedies for dry eyes:

What you need to know most is that dry eyes can be prevented and handled through a wide range of steps and medications that help in symptomatic relief and increase tears production for better eye moistening.

What can improve dry eye condition is listed here:

1. Frequent blinking, as this is the normal physiological mechanism of moistening eyes, by enhancing tears production and allows tears to be well distributed and cover the entire eye. There is a simple technique that may help you give eyes moisture needed, by closing eyes for a couple of seconds then opening it, then close again and squeeze for another couple of seconds and open both eyes, and repeat frequently or when needed.

2. Adequate Rest, such as any organ in the human body, eyes need rest for maintaining its function and avoid dry eye syndrome, sleep for seven hours per day gives your eye space for rest. Also, adequate rest between work sessions in front of computer screens is important for good functioning eyes.

3. Essential fatty acid intake, as Omega 3 can enhance tears production and significantly decrease symptoms of a dry eye according to the American Association of Ophthalmology, and list of food rich in Omega 3 is including Tuna, soya bean, flax seeds, and walnuts.

4. Essential Vitamins, such as vitamin D,  which has a direct linkage to dry eye, as well as vitamin A and vitamin B12 should be considered during daily intake. And other vitamins have certain effects in improving eye functionality such as vitamin E, C, B6, B9, Riboflavin, and thiamine, which means adequate fruits and juice throughout the day

5. A healthy lifestyle, like quitting smoking, drinking less alcohol, and eating healthy food may help in improving dry eye symptoms.

6. Suitable Eye drop, as between types of eye drops preservative free drops are most recommended to decrease irritation.

7. Warm Compresses are simple home remedies for dry eyes to enhance producing more lipids from eyelids, such warm and moist compress has improved symptoms of a dry eye according to the American Association of ophthalmology.

8. Environmental consideration, as according to the National Eye Institute, the smoke, wind, and dry weather may worsen symptoms of dry eye syndrome, so controlling the environment through air filters and humidifiers plays a role in improving and preventing dry eye.

Our dewtreats for you today are that Dry eye syndrome is such a common and annoying medical condition especially in elderly people and middle age groups high intact with computer and mobile screens, also certain medications and medical conditions are among the factors that induce dry eye syndrome. Simple home remedies for dry eyes are easy and effective methods to relieve symptoms and prevent re-occurrence of dry eye sensation through adding fish oil rich in Omega 3, certain vitamins, regular blinking, adequate rest periods, warm compress, humidifiers, air filters, and choosing suitable eye drops if needed.

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By: Dr Moataz