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Dry Eye Syndrome

Do you suffer from dry eyes? Dry eyes are caused by problems with your tears, making your eyes red, watery, itchy, and irritated. Although having dry eyes doesn’t cause a permanent change in your vision, it can make your eyesight blurry for short periods of time and be very uncomfortable.

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What is dry eye syndrome?

Dry eye syndrome occurs when your eyes do not produce enough tears, or the tears evaporate too quickly. Without adequate lubrication, the eyes dry out, which leads to inflammation and damage of the eye’s surface. Fortunately, the condition is not serious, and symptoms can be relieved with treatments such as eye drops or lifestyle changes.

What are the symptoms?

Symptoms of dry eyes usually affect both eyes and can include:

  • sensitivity to light
  • scratchy or burning sensation in the eyes
  • redness
  • gritty feeling in the eyes
  • difficulty wearing contacts
  • watery eyes
  • eye fatigue
  • blurred vision

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Am I at risk of dry eyes?

Dry eye syndrome can affect anyone but is more common in older people, women after menopause, and contact lens wearers. People who look at computer screens for too long without a break are also more likely to develop dry eyes because they blink less often. You are also more likely to experience dry eyes if you smoke or drink alcohol, have a condition such as blepharitis, take certain medications, or spend time in air conditioned or heated environments.

What treatment options are available?

If you suffer from dry eyes, we can help. Our friendly team will be happy to recommend eye drops or lifestyle changes that can ease symptoms.

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In addition, regular eye exams can help keep dry eye syndrome at bay and ensure that your vision and eye health is the best it can be. These can be booked online. We assess every patient we see for dry eyes using a topographer, which analyses the front surface of the eye (the cornea).

We will also insert a dye called fluorescein into your eyes to help us look at your tears and see if your eye’s surface is dry. Help from a slit lamp also gives us a magnified look at the front surface of your eyes, and we may also use our Topcon Maestro OCT. The process is simple, painless, and generally takes 40-45 minutes.