Dry eye syndrome – the disease caused by decrease in quality or quantity of tear fluid. It is accompanied by discomfort, visual impairment and damage to the eye surface structures due to instability of the tear film. Normally the eye is washed with a tear fluid and becomes moisten. A tear-drop consists of two main components: fat and water. Imbalance between these components leads to decreased tear quality.
Symptoms:
- "dry" eyes, feeling of pain, burning sensation and redness when wearing contact lenses
- “sand” or a foreign body sensation, irritation, smarting eyes with eye tearing
- poor tolerance of insufficiently moist air, eye burning sensation
- pain sensation when using indifferent eye drops
Symptoms often worsen in spaces with dry, warm or hot, smoky air, after reading for a long time or working on the computer. As a rule, symptoms aggravation is noted in the evening, after a long visual work or exposure to uncomfortable environmental conditions.
Conditions:
• increased visual stress
• contact lenses wearing
• hypovitaminosis (in particular, vitamin A deficiency)
• age-related, including hormonal changes in the body (menopause, thyroid pathology
• mechanical irritation of the cornea when exposed to excessively dry air, dust and smoke
• chemical irritation caused by poor-quality cosmetics
• certain drugs
• tear film impairment due to insufficient fat secretion
Treatment
The easiest way is to use tear substitutes – medical products that take on the function of the tear fluid. Pharmacies have a wide selection of moisturizing eye drops. In case of concomitant infection, antibiotics are added in drops and ointments. In severe cases, surgical treatment is advisable, for example, the lacrimal ducts tamponade. Temporary or permanent tampons (occluders) of various materials are placed into the lacrimal ducts. The tear fluid does not enter the lacrimal ducts and the eye remains hydrated.