© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Forty-five-year old Shruti didn’t know that working long hours on her laptop and staying hooked to mobile devices meant she would have to wash her eyes with lukewarm water at suitable intervals and blink for at least 20 seconds. Her eye strain increased despite eye drops and she was eventually diagnosed with Dry Eye Disease (DED), a condition where your eyes cannot produce enough tears to lubricate them or form a protective film.
Persistent redness of the eyes, a burning and scratchy sensation, sensitivity to light, a pressure on the eye and eye fatigue bothered her to such an extent that she landed up at the clinic of Dr Parikshit Gogate, eye surgeon and ophthalmologist at Community Eye Care Foundation, Pune. Now Shruti is on oral eye vitamin supplements and takes care of her ocular hygiene. After she completes a task online, she takes a break, looks upwards to relax the eye muscles, blinks intentionally and drinks some water.
Why patients might not be aware of their dry eyes syndrome
“Shruti is among the many who have dry eye disease because of their over-dependence on visual devices and being cooped up in an air-conditioned environment. They may not even know they have the condition because the symptoms are not as pronounced and often overlap,” says Dr Gogate. Some of these overlapping signs are redness and watery eyes, the second an allergic reaction to dryness. While the eyes may appear watery, these tears lack the necessary components to lubricate the eye surface. This is why a recent multi-centre Italian study says that dry eye disease is still ignored, making treatment difficult.
The study further points out that dry eye disease impacted work performance and attendance at social events.
What causes dry eyes
The reasons for tear film dysfunction are many, including hormone changes, autoimmune disease, inflamed eyelid glands, allergic eye disease, decreased tear production and fast tear evaporation. A deficiency of essential vitamins like A, B12 and D may cause dry eyes.
Dr Gogate adds systemic medicines like drugs against blood pressure, anti-allergic tablets, anxiolytics, hormones, steroids, antidepressants and overuse of eye drops, (their preservatives harm the tear film) can be triggers.
Dr Jeevan Ladi, eye surgeon and founder of Dada Eye Laser Institute, Pune, says cases are particularly on the rise among young professionals. “Incomplete blinking of the eyes prevents stimulation of oil glands in the eyelids. As a result, the tear film becomes unstable leading to dry eyes,” he says.
How to prevent dry eyes
Eliminate direct high airflow or fans, reduce screen time, take frequent screen breaks and use a humidifier in the room you are in. “Checking the mobile for a long time in the dark can lead to fatigue of the small muscles of the eyes, causing headache and irritability,” Dr Ladi says. A Mayo Clinic advisory says you must position your computer screen below eye level so that you don’t open your eyes as wide. This may help slow the evaporation of your tears between blinks.
What about treatment
Dr Ladi says newer lubricants and cyclosporine eye drops are effective. “We can use local lubricant eye drops, topical ocular lubricants, do eyelid hygiene (warm compresses and lid scrubs) and use nutritional supplements,” Dr Gogate adds. Both doctors assure that if these do not work, there are preservative-free lubricants, tear duct plugs to retain tears and moisture as well as devices that apply controlled warmth and pressure to the eyelids to unblock tear glands. Besides, there are topical inflammatory eye drops.
