Dry eyes natural treatment

What is dry eyes?

Dry eyes are caused when our tear glands in the eyelid and conjunctiva do not produce enough tears in quantity or do not produce tears with the right quality and mix of ingredients to provide moisture and protection for a sufficient amount of time to the eye. This condition can cause discomfort or pain, and may be caused by a medical or environmental problem.

What is a tear made of?

Our tears are secreted from the lacrimal glands which are located in the upper eyelid and conjunctiva, and are made of four main components:

The aqueous component – provides moisture and washes the eye

The fatty component – provides a cushion for the smooth movement of the eyeball and contributes to preventing tear evaporation from the eye surface too quickly.

The mucous component – holds all the components together and spreads them uniformly on the eye.

The immune component – antibodies that prevent infections.

What is dry eye syndrome?

This is a general medical term used to describe a condition of dry eyes which is caused either by a decrease in the quality or quantity of tears. This medical condition includes several possible symptoms:

1. Itchy, dry and painful sensation in the affected eye
2. Feeling as if something entered our eye
3. redness
4. Mucus on and around the eye
5. sensitivity to light
6. "tired" eyes
7. Blurred vision

What are the causes of dry eyes?

When the tears do their job well, they keep the surface of the eye moist and smooth, washing it away from particles and protecting it from infections. Healthy eyes produce tears every day all day to stay hydrated.

Sometimes the reason for dry eyes is as banal as environmental factors that dry out the space we are in and with it also the eyes, such as air-conditioned or heated and dry spaces, strong winds or prolonged viewing of screens.

The source of dry eyes can be a chronic disease such as Sjogren's syndrome or rheumatoid arthritis, local diseases such as an infection in one of the parts of the eye or simply the natural aging process, especially in women after menopause, causes us to simply produce less tears.

In some cases, the attending physician will have to find and treat a disease that is manifested, among other things, by dry eyes. You should consult a doctor if the following symptoms appear:

1. redness and swelling
2. Pain beyond moderate tolerable
3. Injury to the eye
4. Discharge from the eye
5. Joint pain, swelling or difficulty moving
6. Dry mouth
7. Persistence of dryness in the eyes beyond a few days despite natural and conservative treatment

The treatments for dry eye are divided into treatments to alleviate the symptoms of dry eye until the harmful cause is found and resolved and dedicated treatments after diagnosing the exact cause of dry eyes if any.

Eye drops are the most common solution to relieve the symptoms of dryness, there are different types, but basically all of them aim to replace our natural tears, and therefore are sometimes called "artificial tears", they are made of the components of our physiological tears in different percentages according to the desired duration of activity. They do not require a prescription and are a temporary solution to relieve dryness.

Treatment of the drainage system of the tears is more invasive, and it includes the clogging of the tear drainage tubes with a cork which can be temporary or permanent, so that we actually delay the drainage of the existing tears that stay longer on the eye.

A natural treatment for dry eyes can be a good temporary solution and even for the skin the problem to disappear completely if it is environmental or temporary itself. It should be remembered that if the natural treatment does not work or if there are warning signs (such as those mentioned above), you should contact an ophthalmologist as soon as possible.

Natural treatment for dry eyes can be:

1. Applying warm compresses: The eye needs the three main tear components to remain moist and with sufficient shielding, a swollen and inflamed eyelid may clog the tear glands that produce the fatty component of the tear at the edge of the eyelid, thus causing dry eyes. This natural treatment includes placing a towel that we have heated with hot water to soften and release blocked ducts in the tear glands. Place the compress on a closed eye for at least a minute.
2. Blink more: watching a digital screen reduces the number of blinks per minute. Keeping the eye open dries it out more and prevents tears from dispersing when the eyelid closes. Try to adapt the 20/20 rule, close your eyes for 20 seconds every 20 minutes of watching the screen.
3. Eat omega 3: this essential fatty acid helps reduce inflammation in the body and specifically contributes to reducing inflammation in the eye and reducing dryness. Foods rich in omega 3 are fatty fish such as salmon and tuna, chia seeds and nutritional supplements.
4. Home humidifier: to prevent the home space from drying out from heating or air conditioning.

Dedicated treatments for dry eye are adjusted after diagnosing the exact cause.