One of the most common reasons that people visit an eye care professional is dry eye. In fact, dry eye has become so pervasive that July has been designated Dry Eye Month.
What causes dry eyes?
Dry eye is one of the most common eye conditions. It is caused by a lack of tears or poor-quality tears on the surface of the eye. Our tears serve many functions – protecting the eye from infection, moisturizing the eye, and playing a vital role in maintaining a smooth eye surface to provide good vision. When tears are not being produced or are poor quality, the result is dry eye.
Dry eye disease has varied causes, including the body not producing enough tears, tear production that lacks enough oily or mucous components, eye surgery complications, or systemic illness that affects the eyes.
Causes can include side effects from certain medications, hormone changes, aging, medical conditions such as Sjogren’s syndrome or ocular Graft vs. Host disease, or damage to the eye.
What’s the best treatment for dry eyes
BostonSight PROSE treatment is an effective solution for patients with severe dry eye or dry resulting from an advanced medical condition. BostonSight SCLERAL lenses are an effective solution for patients with mild to moderately severe dry eye.
Home care also helps promote comfort in conjunction with PROSE or scleral lens treatment. Drinking plenty of fluids is often recommended and seems to be a rather simplistic solution for dry eye. Does staying hydrated really have an impact on dry eye? New research finally answers this question.
Researchers at the University of Bangor in the United Kingdom set out to determine whether there was a relationship between dehydration and dry eye. They selected a small group of older patients for this study as dry eye is prevalent in this age group and there is also a greater susceptibility for dehydration among older adults. In assessing each individual for hydration levels and degree of dry eye, these researchers found that higher rates of dry eye were directly correlated with those who had sub-optimal levels of hydration.
Can drinking more water help with dry eyes?
Another study, published in Clinical & Experimental Ophthalmology (Sherwin J, Kokavec J, and Thornton S N) in November 2015 performed a review of the “current evidence implicating changes in hydration and their association with ocular physiology and morphological characteristics.” The authors concluded that “findings indicate that assessment of hydration status may be an important consideration in the management of patients with chronic eye diseases and undergoing eye surgery.”
These study conclusions provide preliminary evidence for the importance of those with dry eye to ensure adequate hydration. Further research may identify whether specific whole-body hydration might be a therapeutic intervention for those who suffer from dry eye.
Drinking plenty of fluids is an important component of self-care treatment for dry eye in addition to being necessary for good overall health.
More resources:
The Dry Eye Foundation is a nonprofit whose mission is to improve quality of life for people suffering from dry eye disease.
Staged management and treatment recommendation for Dry Eye Disease
This post is part of BostonSight’s archival content and was originally authored by Janice M. Epstein in 2015. Content has been updated to be current. This content is informational in nature and should not be considered medical advice. Please reach out to your medical professional for questions about your vision.