Dry eye is a common condition, affecting nearly half of U.S. adults at some point during their lives. Yet it is often overlooked as a serious ailment.
“Many of our patients have told us that it’s the worst medical problem that they suffer from. Even though dry eye in itself won’t cause you to completely lose your vision, it can really be debilitating,” says Vatinee Bunya, an associate professor of ophthalmology in the Perelman School of Medicine, who co-directs Penn’s Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Center with Mina Massaro-Giordano, a professor of clinical ophthalmology.
As more people are spending increased hours staring at a computer screen, and masks have been associated with dry eye, it’s likely that many might be suffering from the condition for the first time.
Causes of dry eye are wide ranging, and the condition is often multifactorial, Bunya says. People with dry eyes either do not produce enough tears, their tears are of poor quality, or a combination of both. This commonly happens as people—especially women—age. The condition can also be a medication side effect, as well as the result of allergies, or a genetic problem.
Some patients, Bunya says, don’t even realize they have “dry” eyes, since that classic symptom isn’t always present.
One of the first steps that Bunya takes for treating her patients’ dry eyes is to recommend artificial tears twice daily. The most effective over-the-counter eye drops are preservative-free and are sold in single, one-use vials. For more severe dryness, there are highly effective prescription drops, as well as some more high-tech solutions. For example, punctal plugs are tiny devices placed in the tear ducts of the eyelids which stop fluid from draining from the eye.
For daily relief, Bunya recommends using warm compresses and taking regular breaks from the computer screen. Taking a “holiday” from your contact lenses for a few days, or even a few months, can also be beneficial, she says.
Read more at Penn Medicine News.
