It’s called Dry Eye Syndrome, and more people suffer from it than you would think!

With your workplace being more conscious of the COVID-2019 pandemic, you have been working from home. More time with the family, more time for leisure activities, no commute – there are plenty of benefits that comes with this modern-day work ethic.

But working remotely does not mean that you have been working less. In fact -research shows that you might have been working more than ever before. Which might be the reason you have been struggling to see on-screen lately. Or maybe not…

Has your eyesight become blurry and your headaches increased recently? You might be asking why. After all, you recently had your eyes examined and the optometrist assured you that your current prescription is fine. What could be wrong with your eyes?

The answer could be dry eye syndrome. 

See tears aren’t just for crying. Your eyes constantly produce tears to help lubricate and protect your themselves. Each time you blink, the tears are spread out across the eye, coating it. For people who suffer from dry eye syndrome, the eyes just do not produce enough tears constantly to do the job, or those tears evaporate too quickly.

When you work on the computer for long times, or spend a substantial amount of time staring at a phone screen, the eye’s blink rate decreases significantly, causing the protective tear film that covers the eye to evaporate faster. And in order to retain visual accuracy, the tear film needs to spread smoothly and evenly over the eye surface – insufficient fluid makes this impossible.

But that’s not all there is to it. Much like baking a cake and getting the ingredient ratio just right, healthy tears consist of a balance of oil, mucus and water, and when the components are not all there, in the right quantities and ratios (as in the case of dry eyes), your eyes cannot do their job as they are supposed to and they will no longer produce the necessary smooth cover over the front of the eye. Poor tear quality can cause blurry vision, dry and irritated eyes and a burning sensation. Even though your eyes focus perfectly well, the uneven film of tears will distort your vision.

It is therefore clear that a combination of a lot of things may be causing your dry eye.

Apart from the symptoms mentioned above, you could find that the nerves of the eye are damaged and you may not have as much “feeling” in your eyes as you used to. Or your eyes may become even more sensitive.

Mild dry eye can affect up to two out of three people and can be caused by infrequent blinking, hot and dry air, certain medical conditions, medications, eyelid problems, or damaged tear glands. Age could also be a factor, as tear production becomes less with age. Long-term use of contact lenses is another possible cause. 

So, what should you really be looking out for?

People who experience dry eye disease often report feeling irritated, itchy, gritty, or burning eyes; a feeling of debris in their eyes; excess watering; red eyes or pain in the eye.

Other symptoms include:

• Blurry, fluctuating vision
• Feeling the need to blink more often
• Dryness
• A gritty, irritated sensation
• Stinging or achiness
• Overly-watery eyes
• Eye, and eyelid redness
• Sensitivity to light

While dry eyes can be a chronic condition, your optometrist may prescribe treatment to keep your eyes feeling comfortable and prevent your vision from being affected.

Treatments for dry eyes aim to restore the normal number of tears in the eye to minimize dryness and discomfort and to maintain eye health by decreasing the inflammation that is causing this problem in the first place.

One of the most effective treatment options for dry eye is E-Eye Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy, which offers long-term relief and positive results.

Gentle, powerful bursts of light are transmitted into the eye’s blood vessels, generating heat and improving the oily layer volume as well as rejuvenating the eye tissue. It also counteracts problematic bacteria on the skin and eyes, which can cause eye discomfort.

The 15-minute treatment is painless with minimal side effects and patients typically enjoy immediate results which lasts up to 24 months.

And whilst you could start at home treatments such as applying good eyelid hygiene, staying hydrated, eating a plant based anti-inflammatory diet, decreasing stress factors and getting better sleep or using hydrating eye drops, we recommend you book time at OCULA and see our revolutionary technology for yourself.

All the above can only offer a temporary relief, whereas OCULA will do a thorough eye examination to find the underlying cause of the problem, and work out a tailored treatment plan to ensure the best results.

So why wait?

If you think you have dry eye and it’s affecting how you perform daily, book a free chat, or comprehensive Dry Eye Examination with us today.