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Itching, burning, watering, red, irritated tired eyes... what is a person to do? The symptoms aforementioned are classic sign of Dry Eye Syndrome, affecting millions of adults and children. With increased screen time in all age groups, the symptoms are rising.
What causes this? One reason is that when we stare at a computer screen or phone too long, our blink reflex slows way down. A normal eye blinks 17,000 times per day. When our eye functions normally, the body produces enough tears to be symptom free, however, if you live in a geographical area that is dry, or has a high allergy rate, your symptoms could be worse.
Dry eye syndrome can be brought on by many factors: aging, geographical location, lid hygiene, contact lens wear, medications and dehydration. The lacrimal gland in the eye that produces tears, in a person over forty years old, starts slowly losing function. Females with hormonal changes have a higher incidence of DES (dry eye syndrome). Dry, arid climates or areas of extreme allergies lend to higher incidences of DES as well.
A condition of the eyelids, called blepharitis, can cause a dandruff like situation for the eye exacerbating a dry eye condition. Contact lenses can add to DES, so make sure you are in high oxygen contact lens material of you suffer from DES. Certain medications such as antihistamines, cholesterol and blood pressure meds, hormonal and birth control medication, and others may cause symptoms of a dry eye. Check with your pharmacist if you are not sure.
And finally, overall dehydration can cause DES. Some studies show we need 1/2 our body weight in ounces of water per day. For example, if you weigh 150 lbs, you need approximately 75 ounces of water per day to be fully hydrated. If you are not at that level, it could affect your eyes.
Treatment for DES is varied, but the main treatment is a tear supplement to replace the evaporated tears. These come in the form of topical ophthalmic artificial tears. Oral agents that can help are Omega 3 supplements such as fish oil or flax seed oil pills. They supplement the function of meibomian glands located at the lid margin. Ophthalmic gels used at night, as well as humidifiers, can add to moisturizing your eyes. Simply blinking hard more often can cause the lacrimal gland to produce more tears automatically.
For stubborn dry eyes, a method of retaining tears on the eye is called punctum plugs. They act like a stopper for a sink, they are painless and can be inserted by your eye care practitioner medically in the office. Moisture chamber goggles are used in severe dry eye patients to hydrate the eyes with their body’s own natural humidity. This may sound far out but it gets the job done.
Being aware of the symptoms and treatments for dry eye syndrome can prevent frustration, and allow your eyes to work more smoothly and efficiently in your daily routine. If your eyes feel dry as the Sahara, or the eyes water too much: know that help is on the way through proven techniques and products. You do not need to suffer needlessly in the case of Dry Eye Syndrome anymore.
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You wouldn’t dream of going to the beach without sunscreen on, or snow skiing without goggles to protect you from ”snow blindness”..... So what do you do to protect your eyes from potentially harmful blue light from screens? Blue light exposure is at an all time high, with the average viewer spending greater than 5 hours per day behind some sort of screen device.
New research is exploring the effect of light rays emitted from phones, computers, television, and some LCD lights to see the effect on the retina and lens of the eye. The blue light spectrum is a portion of the visible light spectrum similar to UV-A and UV-B. UV-B exposure has been a known cause of cortical cataracts. This is leading researchers to conclude that this exposure needs to be studied more.
“New research evidence suggests that high energy visible light from artificial sources may not be entirely harmless,” from Karl Citek, O.D.,Ph.D., Chairman of the American Optometric Association Commission on Ophthalmic Standards. With this in mind, more research globally on this portion of the light spectrum has now ensued.
One of the potential effects are the increased risk of macular degeneration because the delicate macular cells of the retina can be affected by long term exposure to certain wavelengths. Another event being studied is the effect on sleep habits.
You see, blue light exposure right before bedtime may inhibit sleep because the blue light keeps us alert, and blocks the production of melatonin which puts us to sleep. So stopping use of your computer one hour before bedtime is recommended in order for the body to properly produce the melatonin you need to fall asleep easily.
Treatments for limiting exposure to harmful blue rays comes in the form of tinted lenses. Yellow, amber, orange or red lenses can protect more fully from any potential hazards of blue light exposure. There are also anti-reflective lens treatments that are quite effective put out by major lens companies.
Overall, more research is definitely needed, but there may be a moment in the future that putting on “screen time “ glasses will be as common as sunscreen.
References
Article on Light and Eye Damage by Gregory W. Good, O.D., Ph.D.
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