Dry eye syndrome is a fairly common disorder that causes burning, itching and sometimes even tearing of the eyes. Sometime when the eye is so dry it actually overproduces tears and the profusion of tears can actually overrun the cheek. But there may be other symptoms such as redness of the eyes, blurred vision and light sensitivity. Dry eye syndrome (DES) is a quite common problem for people who are beginning to age because tears are produced less and less as the aging process continues. Oftentimes this affliction haunts women in menopause and or may be caused at any age by the blocking of the tear ducts or because of a certain medication a person is taking. Of course, environmental issues may cause this discomfort also as dust, windy weather or cigarette smoke or other pollutants may evaporate tears and bring on a dry eye condition.
This condition has had an upturn in reported cases in recent years because of the ever increasing long hours before the computer monitor by millions of users. Anyone who must continually look at the same image for hours at a time may eventually develop this condition. Testing for this condition is very simple and involves what is known as the Schirmer's test. A small bit of special paper is placed under the eyelid and left for several minutes, then tested for how much moisture is present. Certain kinds of ocular drops may also be used as a way to test tear production. These drops have a dye that can be traced with a special light as it is washed out of the eye to check for dry eye syndrome.
No what kind of doctor will you need to get the best treatment for your condition? Your regular family physician will probably send you to an ophthalmologist who is an MD that specializes in vision care. While the dry eye syndrome is not viewed as a highly serious condition, many family doctors are more comfortable referring their patients to specialist in certain situations. One of these times may be for issues of vision. Because of his or her training and experience, going to a specialist is the only action someone should take when certain medical conditions arise. Jesus has made the claim that he is the only One who can provide a way to heaven; He is a heaven specialist in His own right! "I am the way the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6)
If a person has vision insurance from his work, this kind of doctor's visit will be covered. There may be co-pay involved, but most of the cost of a visit like this, typically costing up to two hundred dollars, will be covered under most vision insurance policies. In fact, there may be coverage under regular health insurance for visits to an ophthalmologist. But your family physician may be comfortable treating this dry eye syndrome condition, and if that is true, one's health insurance will certainly cover the visit in most cases. But always check your policy handbook before making any assumptions.
Perhaps before even going to one's doctor for treatment using over the counter artificial tears might be a good first attempt to be free of this condition. There are a number of brands of artificial tears and perhaps one will work better than another. Knowing how often to use these artificial tears will just come with experimentation. Perhaps using them only once or twice a day will clear up any burning or itching that a person might have, or it may take an application every hour through the day. Be sure to read the directions on each product to see how often the solution can be used for dry eye syndrome. Try using a humidifier in the wintertime to help alleviate dry heat and limit the minutes one stays under a hairdryer.
Prescription drugs have been developed for dry eye syndrome and have been very successful in its treatment. One of the most recent additions to the medication stable for this condition is Restasis which has been getting a lot of exposure through television commercials. The medicine is not a cure for chronic dry eye syndrome. In fact, there is often a few weeks of use before there is any difference with an irritated eye but this particular medicine does not have steroids, so is better for long term treatment of an irritated eye condition. Other medications which do have steroids are better for short term relief of irritation due to lack of tears. But long term use of steroid medicines for this condition actually increases eye pressure, sometimes leading to glaucoma.
There are some in office surgical procedures that may help in the treat of this condition. Many of our tears drain down an opening of our eyelids nearest our nose sending those tears down our throat. These openings can be plugged keeping the tears in the business of lubricating the eye. The plugs can be removed quite easily, but there are also ways to permanently close the openings if the condition is severe. DES is a condition that an estimated thirty million people have and more women than men experience DES for at least brief periods of time. There is no way to prevent DES from occurring but using common sense methods of protecting the eye from pollutants can go a long way towards alleviating its symptoms.
This condition has had an upturn in reported cases in recent years because of the ever increasing long hours before the computer monitor by millions of users. Anyone who must continually look at the same image for hours at a time may eventually develop this condition. Testing for this condition is very simple and involves what is known as the Schirmer's test. A small bit of special paper is placed under the eyelid and left for several minutes, then tested for how much moisture is present. Certain kinds of ocular drops may also be used as a way to test tear production. These drops have a dye that can be traced with a special light as it is washed out of the eye to check for dry eye syndrome.
No what kind of doctor will you need to get the best treatment for your condition? Your regular family physician will probably send you to an ophthalmologist who is an MD that specializes in vision care. While the dry eye syndrome is not viewed as a highly serious condition, many family doctors are more comfortable referring their patients to specialist in certain situations. One of these times may be for issues of vision. Because of his or her training and experience, going to a specialist is the only action someone should take when certain medical conditions arise. Jesus has made the claim that he is the only One who can provide a way to heaven; He is a heaven specialist in His own right! "I am the way the truth and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6)
If a person has vision insurance from his work, this kind of doctor's visit will be covered. There may be co-pay involved, but most of the cost of a visit like this, typically costing up to two hundred dollars, will be covered under most vision insurance policies. In fact, there may be coverage under regular health insurance for visits to an ophthalmologist. But your family physician may be comfortable treating this dry eye syndrome condition, and if that is true, one's health insurance will certainly cover the visit in most cases. But always check your policy handbook before making any assumptions.
Perhaps before even going to one's doctor for treatment using over the counter artificial tears might be a good first attempt to be free of this condition. There are a number of brands of artificial tears and perhaps one will work better than another. Knowing how often to use these artificial tears will just come with experimentation. Perhaps using them only once or twice a day will clear up any burning or itching that a person might have, or it may take an application every hour through the day. Be sure to read the directions on each product to see how often the solution can be used for dry eye syndrome. Try using a humidifier in the wintertime to help alleviate dry heat and limit the minutes one stays under a hairdryer.
Prescription drugs have been developed for dry eye syndrome and have been very successful in its treatment. One of the most recent additions to the medication stable for this condition is Restasis which has been getting a lot of exposure through television commercials. The medicine is not a cure for chronic dry eye syndrome. In fact, there is often a few weeks of use before there is any difference with an irritated eye but this particular medicine does not have steroids, so is better for long term treatment of an irritated eye condition. Other medications which do have steroids are better for short term relief of irritation due to lack of tears. But long term use of steroid medicines for this condition actually increases eye pressure, sometimes leading to glaucoma.
There are some in office surgical procedures that may help in the treat of this condition. Many of our tears drain down an opening of our eyelids nearest our nose sending those tears down our throat. These openings can be plugged keeping the tears in the business of lubricating the eye. The plugs can be removed quite easily, but there are also ways to permanently close the openings if the condition is severe. DES is a condition that an estimated thirty million people have and more women than men experience DES for at least brief periods of time. There is no way to prevent DES from occurring but using common sense methods of protecting the eye from pollutants can go a long way towards alleviating its symptoms.
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