Today we talk about the irritated eyes and Dry Eye. In many cases of irritated eyes, conjunctivitis chronic or allergic, are actually hiding a picture of Dry Eye poorly diagnosed, with discomfort that does not improve or can even get worse with the treatments that are performed. A dry eye specialist can help solve this problem.
Eye irritation and dry eye
Irritation of the eyes by dry eye is the most frequent cause of ophthalmological consultations. Not only because of its frequency, but because in many cases it is not diagnosed correctly since the symptoms are tearing, apparently a contradiction if we speak of dry eye.
Until recently it was thought that what we know as dry eye syndrome was due to a lack of tears and the treatment was limited to using artificial tears. In some cases some relief from the discomfort was achieved, but in most cases the discomfort reappeared or even worsened.
Causes of eye irritation related to dry eye
What we know today is that this irritation of the eyes by dry eye occurs both in the elderly and in young people.
The main cause is that in most cases the irritative factor is not the lack of tears but a tear of poor quality. A tear that lacks the necessary grease to lubricate the eye and to prevent its evaporation during each blink. There is an alteration of some glands of the Eyelids known as Meibomian glands which are responsible for secreting this fat.
The Meibomian glands become blocked and their contents can not escape, causing inflammation of the eyelids, the area of tabs.
At the same time irritation of the eyes occurs because when blinking, the eyelids rub against the ocular surface and, in addition, the tear evaporates, leaving the eyeball unprotected and allowing the air to dry out., causing the typical discomfort of dryness and feeling of grit.
Eye irritation and meibomian glands
There are many factors and risk groups susceptible to meibomian glands being altered and causing eye irritation, the most important we see in this list:
- Women
- Advanced age
- Hormonal changes (puberty, menopause, thyroid)
- Medications (antidepressants, estrogens, eye drops)
- Chemical toxicity (mascara, face masks)
- Excessive use of contact lenses
- Rheumatic and skin diseases (acne rosacea)
- Chronic stress
- Unbalanced diet (low in Omega-3)
It is characteristic that the dryness problems get worse in dry environments with heaters or strong air conditioners, even with the abusive use of the same artificial tears, since the symptoms do not improve, the tendency is to use them more frequently, causing a toxic effect on the eye.
What to do with eye irritation
It is fundamental that When faced with a picture of eye irritation, apparently banal, think that it is a Dry Eye Syndrome and that it can evolve into more serious stages, especially when associated with rheumatic or hormonal disorders.
Diagnosis of eye irritation
En Área Oftalmológica Avanzada we have the right technology to diagnose eye irritation and if it is combined with dry eye.
- Through Meibography we can measure:
- The quality of the tear.
- The lipid component of tears.
- The stability of the tear.
- Breaking time of the tear film.
- We will visualize the Meibomian glands.
Meibography showing the Meibomian glands of the upper eyelid (asterisk).
Treatment of eye irritation and dry eye
With these data we can establish a specific treatment. It is necessary to restore the functioning of the Meibomian glands. To carry out a correct treatment of eye irritation, it is essential to:
- Control possible coexisting diseases. Some of the diseases that most affect the dry eye are: rheumatic, skin or thyroid type disorders.
- Remove the application of: eye drops, mascara.
- Control the excessive use of contact lenses.
- Consult about the drugs that we could be taking, especially antidepressants.
Within the treatment it is important to reestablish a correct diet and control stress. As specific measures, we must normalize the functioning of the meibomian glands, and this is achieved by reopening their salic orifices and cleaning their contents, which is known as probing of the meibomian glands.
Treatment of dry eye by probing the Meibomian glands
After five years, our experience is very good and we can guarantee the success of the treatment in more than one 90% of cases.
En Area oftalmológica Avanzada We have the most advanced technology and a multidisciplinary team of ophthalmologists, nutritionists and endocrine specialists, rheumatologists and dermatologists, to reach a correct diagnosis and be able to establish the most appropriate treatment for each patient.
I have 64 years, 34 years ago I had an encephalitis and one of the sequels was to leave my left eye smaller and prone to irritations, burning, nistambus, the clarity bothers me, the wind, the cold, 10 years ago I had surgery of blepharoplasty and it got bigger, but the vision problems continue to be, more and more aggressive and frequent, I went to many ophthalmologists, I have put many kinds of tears, since they say that I have Dry Eye, others say that I have viral keratitis, in short, my life is normal, I drive in routes and cities, but every time it is more difficult ,,, and if you can I would like to improve my quality of life ,,,, I would appreciate give me an answer, from now many thanks, atte, -juan alberto david
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Dear David. In order to help you I should visit you and assess the state of your eyes. It is true that in cases like yours a dry eye with keratitis is produced and it is very annoying. The treatment is usually aimed at regenerating the cornea with growth factors and protecting the ocular surface. As I say, it would be necessary to visit you and see the options that can be most effective for you.
We will contact you to see if we can organize it.
Greetings, Dr Carlos Vergés