How to Take Care of Your Dry Eye Problem

You may be suffering from dry eye and you are not even aware of it. In the United States alone there are about 3.2 million people suffering from this condition which in more commonly found in women although men are not exempt. Women especially over the age of 50 are more vulnerable.

There are several symptoms associated to this condition. They include scratchy and burning eyes, blurry vision, intolerance to wind and smoke, and excessive tearing. Some of these symptoms may be mistaken by a temporary irritation and this is the reason why many people suffer from this without knowing it is a treatable condition.

There are several factors that may cause dry eye. One cause may be the medication you are taking. There are some medicines like diuretics, antidepressants, and antihistamines that affect your production of tears leading to improper lubrication and subsequently, dry eye. They may also cause problems with testosterone. Insufficient testosterone may cause your tears to evaporate faster leading to more dryness.

Diseases can also lead to the development of the dry eye condition. Autoimmune diseases cause inflammation in the eye zone which contributes to the development of the condition. Other diseases like systemic lupus or Sjogren's disease can be relevant factors too.

Now that you know some of the leading causes of dry eye, you need to know the course of action to follow in order to cure or minimize the effects of this condition. You can't attack this problem effectively if you don't know the reason, so depending on what caused the problem your treatment can be very simple or complex.

If the reason is the medication you are taking, then you can discuss the problem with your doctor. He may be able to prescribe you another medication that achieves the same effect but doesn't cause dry eye or if there isn't you can decrease the dose to lower the negative effects.

You can also use eye drops to relieve the symptoms temporarily. Be aware that this is just a short-term measure and it doesn't treat the underlying cause of the problem, is a mere reliever. You shouldn't use eye drops like they are the solution, they are just a supplement you can use in your treatment.

There is a treatment that relies on the use of topical cyclosporine. It is widely prescribed by doctors to treat this condition because it not only provides lubrication; it also treats the inflammation that can be the underlying cause of the dry eye condition itself with little to none side effects.

If you have some of the symptoms for dry eye you should do something about it. It is not only uncomfortable; the symptoms make your eyes more vulnerable to infection which can lead to more severe problems. Find the cause of your condition so you can find the proper treatment.