Dry eye disease can make your eyes uncomfortable and could be the leading cause of your vision problems. Knowing more about this condition, including symptoms and causes, can help you determine if you should see an eye doctor in Jacksonville FL for treatment. Keep the following information in mind to learn more about vision problems caused by dry eye.
Dry Eye Symptoms
Dry eye occurs when the surface of your eyes lacks enough lubrication. This can cause ongoing discomfort, such as an itchy or irritated feeling, as well as inflammation. Dry eyes can even lead to permanent scarring in more serious cases.
Some dry eye symptoms you might experience include burning, stinging, and a scratchy feeling in your eyes. You might also have blurry vision, eye fatigue, redness, or stringy mucus in your eyes or around them. Other symptoms of this condition include watery eyes, increased sensitivity to light, and feeling like there’s something in your eyes.
Dry Eye Causes
You can develop this condition when your body is not producing enough natural tears. Decreased tear production can happen as you get older or if you have certain medical conditions. Other causes include taking certain medications or having corneal nerve de-sensitivity.
Dry eye can also occur if your tears evaporate too quickly. This increased tear evaporation can occur due to eye allergies or exposure to smoke, wind, or dry air. You might also experience this if you tend to blink less often or if you have a vitamin A deficiency. Eyelid problems can also lead to increased tear evaporation.
The risk of dry eye can also increase with age. Other risk factors for this condition include wearing contact lenses or having a history of refractive eye surgery.
Dry Eye Treatment and Prevention
If you are experiencing these dry eye symptoms, it’s important to seek treatment in order to protect your vision and prevent complications. Dry eye can cause eye infections and result in damage to the surface of your eyes when it isn’t treated. Dry eye treatment typically involves using eye drops to help increase lubrication on the surface of your eyes. Other options for this condition include special gels used for reducing inflammation and increasing moisture production, Lipiflow, Thermoflo, MiBo, and ProKera therapeutic devices.
You can prevent dry eye by avoiding air blowing into your eyes, avoiding exposure to smoke, and making sure to give your eyes a break when doing long tasks. Other ways to prevent this condition include using a humidifier to add moisture to the air, wearing protective eyewear, and using artificial tears on a regular basis.
Dry eye treatment is an important part of reducing your risk of vision problems caused by dry eye. If you have been experiencing dry eye symptoms and are searching for an “eye doctor near me,” please contact us to request an appointment with the team at Florida Eye Specialists.