The Main Risk Categories of Eye Dryness Syndrome

Eye dryness syndrome is an eye disease that is caused by low tar productivity or its bad qualities. Everybody knows that our lacrimal glands work to comfort and moisturize our eyes, to take care of our vision and when they don’t work properly, we have a feeling of dryness, as if there is sand in our eyes. It is a very common problem for people over forty and office workers. Eight hours of sitting in front of the computer surely doesn’t do any good to our eyes and causes a lot of eye problems.

Even in the middle of the working day you can already feel the weakness and notice that you rub your eyes often. That may mean that the air in your office is too dry, which also has a negative effect on the eyes. Also, we wink much less when our attention is on the screen of our computer or phone. The conditioner makes the air dry too. When we switch it on, we usually close the windows so as not to catch cold, and the air doesn’t get cleaner – dirty air just circulates all over the place. 

Therefore, working in an office is dangerous for our eyes not only because of computers. Many office workers face the need for a dry eye treatment every now and then.

What Are the Main Risk Factors of Eye Dryness Besides Office Work? 

There are some risk categories and you should be attentive to your eyes if you belong to one of them.

1. Age. The feeling of dryness in the eyes is one of the parts of the aging process, so if you are coming to the age of 65, there are big chance that it will concern you.
2. Sex. Women have a bigger tendency to have eye dryness syndrome because of hormonal changes caused by pregnancy, oral contraceptives, and menopause.
3. Medicine. Some treatments, such as antihistamines, can have such side-effects as eye dryness. Usually, it is written in the instructions.
4. Contact lens. They impair the balance of hydro-lipid balance in the eye which can also cause the feeling of eye dryness.
5. Environmental factors can also cause eye diseases. Polluted air is harmful to our eyes. Smoke, wind, and dry air are also dangerous. So, if you live in a hot country with a dry climate, or in a big polluted city, you are also in the risk group.
6. Surgeries on eyes. Some surgeries like laser correction of vision can cause eye dryness as a post-operational side effect.

So pay attention to those factors that can cause dry eyes syndrome and visit your doctor if any discomfort in your eyes occurs. There are numerous tests that can help identify dry eyes. Your ophthalmologist may perform a test to determine the quality or thickness of your tears. They may also assess how quickly you shed tears. 

Your ophthalmologist may recommend that you use prescription eye drops. This helps your eyes produce more tears on their own. It’s better to prevent disease development than to deal with the consequences of its neglect.

Dry Eye Prevention Tips

• Avoid using a hair dryer if you can;
• Avoid overly warm rooms. In the winter, use a humidifier to add moisture to the air. Or place a pan of water near your heater or radiator;
• Wrap-around glasses can protect your eyes from the drying wind outside;
• Consult your ophthalmologist about including omega-3 fatty acids in your diet for dry eye treatment. They occur naturally in oily fish (such as salmon, sardines, tuna, trout, and anchovies) and flaxseeds. Omega-3 fatty acids can be consumed as a dietary supplement (pill or tablet);
• Do you wake up with dry, itchy eyes? Apply artificial tear ointment or thick eye drops right before going to bed.