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It is a disease caused by the sum of the findings resulting from the insufficiency or decreased quality of tears. It is possible to reduce complaints with medication, Punctum plug or IPL Laser.
What is Dry Eye Disease?
Dry eye is a disease caused by a decrease in the amount of tears that provide moisture to the surface of our eyes and keep our eye surface wet, or a decrease in the quality of their content. This disease, which causes complaints such as burning, irritation, redness and stinging, can lead to blurred vision and ulcers on the surface of the eye that do not heal in the future. Nowadays, when digital tools are used frequently, dry eye disease has become a very common disease.
What are the complaints caused by dry eyes?
If the amount or quality of tears to sufficiently moisturize the eye surface is insufficient;
- Combustion
- Erythema
- Irritation (Stinging)
- Itching
- Sensation of stuttering while blinking
- Sensitivity to light
- Eye watering as a reflex to decreased tears
- Difficulty wearing contact lenses or decreased tolerance
- Inability to spend time on the computer or read books for a long time
Who Can Get Dry Eye?
There are many known causes for dry eyes. These may vary depending on the person or the environment.
Among the most common reasons:
- Female gender
- After 40 years of age
- Rheumatic or some systemic diseases
- Medication use (such as antihistamines, antidepressants, acne medications)
- Consume less water
- Cigarette
- Exposure to digital devices such as computers and tablets
- Air-conditioned environment
- Living in windy, dry climates and dusty places
How Can I Prevent Dry Eyes?
Even if it is not possible to completely protect from dry eyes, what needs to be done to reduce the complaints:
- Ventilate and moisten the environment frequently
- Consuming plenty of water
- Using sunglasses
- Spending as little time as possible in air-conditioned environments
- Quit smoking
- Pay attention to the 20-20-20 rule when spending time with digital tools. (Looking at a distance of 5-6 meters for 20 seconds every 20 minutes and resting the eyes.)
- Pay attention to the cleaning of the eye area, and if necessary, clean the base of the eyelashes and use hot dressing to activate the meibomian glands that secrete oil from the base of the eyelashes.
- Limiting the use of medications prescribed specifically for acne, unless medication use is mandatory.
What are the treatments for dry eye disease?
- Although there is no known definitive treatment for dry eye, it is possible to identify the cause and arrange treatments to reduce the symptoms.
- First of all, we need to decide whether dry eyes are due to low production or due to the low quality of your tears.
- If our tear level is insufficient, treatment can be started with supplementary artificial tear drops or special drops such as cyclosporine that support your tear production.
- The majority of dry eyes are caused by the blockage of the meibomian glands located at the base of our eyelashes. These glands increase the quality and lubricity of our tears with the help of channels that secrete oil to the surface of the eye. Cleaning the base of the eyelashes and applying hot dressing opens the mouths of these canals and relieves our dry eye complaints.
Innovations in Dry Eye Treatment (Punctum Plug, IPL Light and Mask treatment)
In addition to the treatment of patients who do not benefit from artificial tear drops and lifestyle changes for dry eyes, we can use temporary or permanent Punctal Plugs to block the tear fountain. These plugs prevent the flow of tears from the surface of our eyes to our nose, help our tears stay on the surface of the eye, and reduce our need for artificial tears.
Another treatment option is Meibomiomask (Mask) and IPL light therapy, which have become very popular in recent years.
The aim of these treatments is to stimulate the sebaceous glands that increase the quality of our tears and to ensure that the surface of our eyes becomes more moist and of higher quality. Our patients benefit greatly from IPL and Mask treatment, which is generally applied in 3 or 4 sessions.
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