What treatments are available to treat dry eye symptoms?

For those patients with mild to moderate dry eyes the first course of treatment may be to use unpreserved artificial tears or rewetting drops as prescribed by the doctor. Depending on the nature of your tear film deficiency, the doctor may have you use a specific type of artificial tear that has different characteristics in terms of salt content and viscosity.

In addition to artificial tears, your doctor may suggest the need to switch to a less irritating or preservative free lens care system. These are specially formulated lens lubricating and rewetting drops specifically designed for contact lens wearers because other types of drops may contain ingredients that can damage the lens. Rewetting drops for contact lens wearers are usually not as thick as gels and are designed to provide relief and long-lasting lubrication to help retain moisture. Most doctors recommend preservative-free tears because they are the most soothing and have fewer additives that could potentially irritate the eye. Avoid products that are irritating to the eyes- they don’t have adequate lubricating qualities and often make the problem worse.

Protein removal is also an important issue, especially for patients with CLIDE. In heavily depositing persons with less frequently replaced lenses, regular enzyme treatments are advised. Daily wear lenses and daily disposables will be a good option. In severe cases, a reduced wearing schedule of daily-replaced lenses would be ideal. If optically viable, your doctor may consider changing your lens to a high water content lens that retains water in the lens matrix or an RGP lens with a low amount of silicone content.

In addition, your doctor may counsel you on environment factors and modifying the diet. Most likely you will be asked to drink plenty of water.

Marco’s comment:
If symptoms persists, it is advisable to opt for eyeglasses.

Source: Health care booklet from Guardian pharmacy

Plants for a healthier living

The side effects and dangers of air pollution are commonly known by the general public. However only a minority understands that indoor air pollution is at least 10 times higher than the outdoor, as shown by a research. Through experiments, it is proven that indoor gardening can effectively reduce or eliminate indoor air pollution.

Indoor sterilization
Plants absorb the toxic gasses, lampblack and radiation at home. Indoor plants help enhance ventilation and eliminate odour. A research by NASA shows that an indoor plant can eliminate 90% of formaldehyde in one cubic meter space. (Formaldehyde is commonly found in furniture, cigarettes, cosmetics, clothing and others. Pollution of formaldehyde can cause skin disease, skin cancer, discomfort of eyes, nose and throat, emotional instability, memory loss etc.)

Reduce indoor dust & micro-organism
Cilium, hair and mucus on plants are able to absorb the dust in air. Vapour from leaves through the process of respiration helps to increase moisture level and reduce room temperature. When dust integrates with vapour, the weight of that combination increases and causes the dust to subside. Thus, it is able to reduce the amount of dust in the air. Studies show that indoor planting reduces 20% to 70% of dust.

Ensure good indoor air ventilation
Carbon dioxide (CO2) released by plans at night is only 20% of the volume plants absorb in the day time. This shows that plants release a small amount of CO2 at night and it is not harmful to our health. However, there are some plants that absorb CO2 and release oxygen at night, such as the cactus and Sansevieria. These plants if place indoor will help regulate indoor air ventilation. -Baba

How are dry eyes diagnosed?

If you suspect you have dry eyes on wearing contact lenses, you should make an appointment to see your eye doctor. Your historical information gives the most reliable clues to the diagnosis of dry eyes. A careful examination of all the eye tissues usually provides more documentation for making a diagnosis.

While assessing for CLIDE your doctor will document your comprehensive contact lens history. He will evaluate whether the lens has been worn daily or extended overnight. Your doctor may need to ensure that you are not sleeping in lenses approved for daily wear, as this can lead to CLIDE. Environment factor such as humidity, closer to heating or air conditioning duct may aggravate CLIDE.

Your eyes may be examined using a special microscope called a slit lamp. The condition of the tear film (the layer of liquid) on your eyes is looked at, and the cornea (front of the eye) is checked to see if it has dried out, or has been damaged. Your doctor may also use different dyes to see if skin cells on the eye have worn away. The dye is put in your eye as an eye drop, and the dye will temporarily stain the eye where cells have worn away.

A test called the Schirmer test may also be carried out. A thin strip of filter paper is placed just inside the lower eyelid. After a few minutes, the paper is then removed to see how much liquid it has soaked up. Your doctor can then measure how dry your eyes are.

Source: Health care booklet from Guardian pharmacy