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If you’ve ever experienced irritated, red eyes in the morning or after a long day, you know how uncomfortable dry eyes can be. Spare a thought for those with dry eye disease as they experience these symptoms every daily.
Dry eye disease is a condition that millions of people around the world suffer from, and we’re beginning to learn more about this devastating disease and how to properly prevent and treat it. According to the Dry Eye Workshop TFOS, dry eye disease is a multifactorial disease affecting the surface of the eyes. This condition not only causes damage to the surface of the eyes but may also lead to dysfunctional tears, visual disturbances, and discomfort.
Two Forms of Dry Eye
There are two main forms of dry eye disease; aqueous deficient dry eye and evaporative dry eye.
Aqueous Deficiency
Aqueous deficiency involves issues with the lacrimal gland, which makes the watery portion of the tears. Anything that affects this gland can cause aqueous deficiency, and this may include aging, medications you’re taking, autoimmune conditions such as Sjogren’s syndrome, and other factors. With this form of dry eye, you’re not making enough tears.
Evaporative Dry Eye
Evaporative dry eye is much more common. The meibomian glands within the eyelids produce oil for the tear film, and this healthy oil prevents the tears from evaporating. When the glands are inflamed, the oil is hardened, or it becomes stagnant, this can result in an increase in evaporation of the tear film. With an increase in evaporation, the tears will not coat the eye properly and you’ll notice discomfort and visual changes.
Many things can contribute to evaporative dry eye, including low blink rate, medications such as Accutane, allergies, preservatives in topical eye drops, and even contact lens wear.
Symptoms of Dry Eye Disease
When someone is suffering from this condition, they may experience any or all of the following:
- Irritated eyes
- Burning eyes
- Red eyes and/or eyelids
- Intermittent blurry vision
- Foreign body sensation
- Watery eyes
- Light sensitivity
- Difficulty with wearing contact lenses
- Problems driving at night
While these are the main symptoms, there may be others that you’ll notice with this disease. By taking prevention measures now, and taking care of your eyes and eyelids properly, you’ll be able to avoid some of the most devastating symptoms of the disease.
Your Eyelids
Before we get into what you should be doing to prevent this issue, we need to first discuss the importance of the eyelids. What do the eyelids have to do with dry eyes? Everything! The eyelids contain small oil glands within them called meibomian glands. As you’ve already learned, these glands produce necessary oil for the tear film. Without it, your tears will not function properly and you’ll be miserable.
In addition to producing oil, your eyelids also work to spread the tears across the surface of the eyes every single time you blink. When your blink is disrupted (say, you’re working on a computer for hours on end and blinking much less), your tear film is not going to spread as it should. For these reasons, taking care of your eyelids is the most important step in preventing dry eye disease.
Simple Preventative Measures
- Remove Your Makeup and Wash Your Face
I shouldn’t have to say this, but it’s so important to remove all of your makeup and wash your face before you head to bed. If you’re not doing this, you’re allowing bacteria to multiply on your eyelids and lashes. You’re also allowing chemicals from your makeup to sit around your eyes for hours. Both of these can contribute to eyelid inflammation and ultimately dry eyes. We recommend using an oil-based eye makeup remover and washing with a tea tree oil based soap. Tea tree essential oil is great for fighting inflammation on the skin, and this can be very beneficial for those with eyelid inflammation and dry eye disease.
- Use a Warm Compress
For those with meibomian gland issues, you can think of the oil in your glands like butter. When it’s heated and healthy, it flows freely. When it’s cold, it becomes hardened and stagnant. A warm compress eye mask can help you maintain free flowing oil so that oil can come out into the tear film where it belongs. To use, simply place your mask in the microwave for 20 seconds, test the temperature on the inside of your wrist, and then place it over your closed eyelids for 10-20 minutes (reheating as necessary). Although you can use a wet washcloth, it will not have the same effect because this will cool down much more quickly and it’ll take up much more of your time.
- Spray on Hypochlorous Acid
Although using an acid around your eyes might sound scary, hypochlorous acid is made naturally by your body to fight microorganisms. It is extremely gentle and safe for use around the eyes and on the eyelids. It’s a powerhouse for cleaning your eyelids, and this is important because excess bacteria can be problematic for those with eyelid inflammation and dry eyes. You brush your teeth every day, twice per day, to avoid cavities. In the same way, you should be cleansing your eyelids twice per day to avoid dry eye and other eyelid inflammatory issues.
- Drink Enough Water
You may think this is overly simplistic, but water is necessary for every single bodily function you have. A general recommendation is to drink half your body weight in ounces of water per day. This means that, if you weigh 68 kg (150 pounds), you should be drinking roughly 2.25 litres (75 ounces) per day. An easy way to get started with this is to wake up and drink 1/2 a litre (16 ounces) of water before doing anything else. This will get you well on your way to drinking enough water throughout the day. If you suffer from kidney issues or electrolyte imbalance, make sure to discuss your water intake with your primary care doctor.
- Replace Your Breakfast With a Green Smoothie
What did you have for breakfast this morning? The majority of people are consuming inflammatory foods for breakfast, such as sugary cereals, bacon and eggs with cheese, dairy, bagels and the like. By replacing your unhealthy breakfast with something packed full of nutrients, you’re going to be doing your body and your eyes a favor. Green smoothies contain a high level of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds that your body needs to function at its best. Try to make your smoothie at home so that you can control what you put in it as opposed to purchasing a smoothie at a restaurant (these are usually packed with added sugar).
- Take Visual Breaks
It’s a known fact that we blink half as often when we’re reading or working on the computer. When you’re at rest, the average person blinks about 20 times per minute. When you’re looking up close, you’re blinking 10 or less times per minute! Blinking is essential for the meibomian glands to work properly. When you’re not blinking, you’re not spreading tears over the eyes and you’re not allowing those blinks to milk the glands of their oily contents. The result is dry, irritated eyes after prolonged near work.
To combat this, take visual breaks. Every 20 minutes, look at least 20 feet / 6 meters away (let your eyes rest) for at least 20 seconds. This 20-20-20 Rule can work wonders for how your eyes feel, but don’t just keep it at looking far away. Get up and do a few jumping jacks, squats, or push-ups for those 20 seconds!
As you can see, dry eye disease can be devastating. But with a few simple tweaks to your daily routine, you can prevent this condition and begin feeling better in no time.
About Dr. Jenna Zigler
Dr. Jenna Zigler is an optometrist and the co-founder of Eye Love, whose mission is to heal 1,000,000 dry eye sufferers naturally. Dr. Jenna and her husband use the profits from Eye Love to fund free and low cost clinics in Jamaica and in the US. They do this through their charity, the Eye Love Cares Foundation, which also provides exams, glasses and sunglasses for those in need, free education, and scholarships for students who align with their mission.
Previously, Dr. Jenna owned two optometry practices, which were sold in 2017 to focus on Eye Love and her other brand, Heyedrate. Dr. Jenna co-hosts The Dry Eye Show on YouTube and Facebook, and leads and educates a community of over 100,000 dry eye sufferers.
References:
http://www.tfosdewsreport.org/report-tfos_dews_ii_report/36_36/en/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dry-eyes/symptoms-causes/syc-20371863
https://iovs.arvojournals.org/article.aspx?articleid=2127960
