Under the current working and living conditions, many different factors affect the eyes, which are far from always positive. For this reason, such issues as dryness, eyes, causes and treatment are becoming increasingly relevant, can vision drop in this condition or not? In order to give a complete answer, you need to consider the essence of the problem.
Why eyes are getting dry
A topic such as “Dry eyes: causes and treatment” concerns many ordinary people. Often the cause of such manifestations is a pathological condition, which is called "xerophthalmia." The essence of this problem is reduced to insufficient moistening of the conjunctiva and cornea of the eyes due to deficiency of tear fluid and instability of the tear film.
This film covers the front of the eye. Its thickness is approximately 10 microns. The key objective of this film is to protect the eyes from environmental influences, the ingress of various small foreign bodies and dust, inclusive. Moreover, it is with her participation that the cornea is supplied with oxygen and nutrients, due to which a natural immune defense against infections is formed.
Tear film structure
Studying dry eyes, the causes and treatment of this disease, it is worth paying attention to the device of the tear film, which consists of three layers:
- The deepest is the mucin layer. It is produced by the goblet cells of the conjunctiva. In addition, it is with this layer that the cornea is covered, so that its surface is even and smooth. The main function of this layer is to keep the lacrimal film itself on the corneal epithelium.
- The water layer. It is produced by the lacrimal glands. This layer consists of dissolved electrolytes and biologically active substances. It supplies the epithelium of the conjunctiva and cornea with oxygen and nutrients. Moreover, thanks to the water layer, metabolic waste, carbon dioxide molecules and epithelial cells that have died out are removed.
- The lipid layer. It is produced by the meibomian glands and covers the outside of the water layer. Its key function is to protect the eyeball and ensure gliding of the upper eyelid. It also prevents excessive heat transfer of the epithelium of the water layer and its evaporation.
As part of the topic: “Dry eyes: causes and treatment”, you need to pay attention to the fact that every 10 seconds there is a rupture of the tear film, which stimulates blinking. As a result, the tear fluid is updated , leading to the restoration of the film.
Approximately 15% of the entire tear film is updated in one minute. In this case, an evaporation of 8% occurs.
Dry eye syndrome can develop if the above-described tears are plural. Various factors lead to breaks of this type: impaired secretion of mucins, tear fluid and lipids, as well as very rapid evaporation of the film itself.
Causes of Dry Eye Syndrome
There are various conditions in which a decrease in the produced tear fluid occurs. The most common include the following:
- Endocrine disorders during menopause and premenopause. This is a shortage of estrogen production.
- Vitamin deficiency.
- Severe neurological disorders, Parkinson's disease, kidney disease, pregnancy, inflammatory eye diseases and various disorders in the functioning of the organs of vision, severe exhaustion, infectious and skin diseases.
- Autoimmune conditions (Sjogren's disease) and connective tissue diseases. In this case, an uncontrolled proliferation in the body of connective tissue is implied, accompanied by a blockage of the excretory ducts of the lacrimal glands. The ducts block the fibrous lesions, which leads to a violation of the full production of lacrimal fluid. As a result, it is incorrectly distributed over the cornea.
- Considering dry eyes, causes and treatment of this disease, you need to pay attention to the negative effects of antiarrhythmic and antihypertensive drugs with their long-term use. The result of this practice may be a decrease in fluid production in the body or dehydration. As a result, the total volume of tears decreases and their viscosity increases. The use of eye ointments and drops, which contain anticholinergics, beta-blockers and anesthetics, can negatively affect the production of tear fluid.
- Various conditions that result in the inability of the eye to close completely can also lead to dryness. For proper hydration, the eyelids should be closed completely.
- Using contact lenses that are inadequate in size or of poor quality.
Violation of the regimen of rest and sleep, environmental factors can play a negative role in the development of the symptom of dry eyes.
The cause of dry eyes in the morning can be directly related to one or more of the factors mentioned above.
In general, the development of dry eye syndrome is more characteristic of people living in climatic zones that require the use of air conditioners and heating systems. This is due to the fact that exposure to dry air leads to the evaporation of liquid from the surface of the eyes.
Who is at risk
Considering dry eyes, the causes and treatment of this disease, it is important to determine who should be afraid of such a problem. First of all, such a disease can manifest itself in residents of megacities, since the level of air pollution directly affects the incidence of dry eye syndrome.
Residents of high mountains may also face a similar problem. As for living conditions that can affect the condition of the eyes, then they can include long-term work at the computer. According to studies, more than 70% of women and 60% of men working in the office for a PC have problems with the function of the lacrimal glands.
The topic “Dry eyes - causes and treatment at the age of 50” is also relevant , as women of this age category are faced with a decrease in blood estrogen levels. This, in turn, leads to insufficient hydration of the eye.
Dry Eye Syndrome - Symptoms
In most cases, the symptomatology of this problem is unclear, but sometimes, due to the development of complications, quite noticeable disturbances in well-being can occur.
We are talking about the following signs of the disease:
- redness of the eyes;
- adhesion of the eyelids in the morning;
- a feeling of "sand in the eyes" and dryness, which can increase during the day;
- during blinking, the clarity of vision is lost.
If the eyes in this condition will be affected by high temperature or smoke, then the severity of symptoms can be significantly higher.
This disease has more severe forms of manifestation:
- severe pain in the eyes, which is difficult to endure;
- visual impairment;
- Hypersensitivity to light;
- significant redness of the eyes, which does not last long.
In some cases, even trauma to the cornea is possible. Therefore, when such symptoms appear, you must consult a doctor.
Treatment methods
If dry eyes appear, the causes and treatment in children and adults should be determined by a qualified doctor. Therefore, diagnostics are initially performed: cytology of the smear from the conjunctiva, analysis of the tear fluid, biomicroscopy, as well as Norm and Schirmer tests (with their help determine the rate of formation and subsequent evaporation of the tear fluid).
Once the cause of the disease has been determined, various treatment methods can be used, from artificial tears to surgery.
In the framework of the topic “dry eyes, causes and treatment” drops deserve special attention, since they can help neutralize the problem at different levels of development.
Doctors often prescribe medications that restore a stable tear film on the surface of the eyes. If you have to deal with a mild form of the syndrome, then drops having a low level of viscosity are often used. If the patient has a moderate and severe form, then drops and gels of medium (Lacrisin) and high viscosity (Oftagel, Vidisik, Korneregel, Lakropos) are prescribed.
It is worth noting that gels with high viscosity become liquid during the blinking process. This allows you to provide the desired level of hydration of the cornea.
Anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agents
Often with dry eyes, inflammation appears. In this case, antibiotics as well as immunosuppressants can be prescribed. We are talking about such drugs as hormonal drops "Dexamethasone", "Oftan", "Maxidex" and drops with cyclosporine "Restasis".
Studying dry eyes, causes, treatment and effective effect on this problem as a whole, you need to pay attention to antibacterial agents. They are used to neutralize inflammatory diseases, which often cause dry eyes. We are talking about ointments with tetracycline and erythromycin. They are prescribed, as a rule, for a course of 7-10 days. They are used before bedtime.
There are other methods that can effectively affect dry eyes. Causes and treatment (reviews confirm this) often imply such an effective method of influencing the disease as an implantable container in which a tear-replacement fluid is located. Install it in the lower eyelid.
Surgical intervention
There are several types of minor surgeries that can affect dry eyes. With their successful implementation, normal production and maintenance of the required amount of tear fluid is restored.
An example is the occlusion of the lacrimal ducts, which divert fluid from the eyes. If they are blocked, then the liquid will begin to accumulate on the outer surface of the eye, which leads to its moisture. To plug the ducts, plugs are used, which are removed if necessary. This procedure is not complicated, but it can significantly improve the patient's condition.
If after this operation the problem has not been resolved, cauterization of the tear ducts can be used.
Folk techniques
There are several other methods worth mentioning when exploring the topic “dry eyes - causes and treatment”. Folk remedies overcome many common diseases and this syndrome is no exception.
As examples of this approach, you can cite several recipes:
- Chamomile broth. It is necessary to brew a camomile. In the resulting broth, cotton pads are moistened and applied to the eyes for 10-20 minutes. It is advisable to do this while lying down.
- Tea lotions. The same principle is used with the use of cotton pads, only ordinary tea is brewed, and it is strong.
- Use of honey. This healing product is soluble in water and used in the form of compresses.
In general, studying dry eyes, causes and treatment with folk remedies for this disease, it is worth noting that it is important not to forget about an integrated approach to the recovery process.
Prevention
In order to prevent the appearance of dry eyes or to consolidate the result of treatment, you need to follow a few simple principles:
- make sure that the humidity level in the house is approximately 30-50%;
- in the cold season, use air humidifiers;
- protect your eyes from direct air currents and especially strong winds;
- use sunglasses.
conclusions
Obviously, dry eyes can be the result of exposure to a whole group of different factors. For this reason, both before and after treatment, it is important to ensure that the cause of the problem does not continue to adversely affect the lining of the eye.