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Proper diagnosis is the first step toward
relief. |
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Dry eye is one of the most under-diagnosed ocular diseases, but it
is the most common reason why patients see an eye care professional. |
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Dry eye is a
multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in
symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability
with potential damage to the ocular surface. It is accompanied by
increased osmolarity of the tear film and inflammation of the ocular
surface.
Osmolarity
In fact, dry eye disease
occurs when your eyes do not produce enough tears or produce poor
quality tears. That's why it's essential you get your tears analyzed by
your eye doctor. Only an eye doctor can properly diagnose your problem
and treat it appropriately.
We will take a sample of
tears from each eye to measure osmolarity (the saltiness
of your tears). As osmolarity in your tears increase ocular surface
cells become damaged. Your doctor will need an amount of tear fluid no
larger than the period at the end of this sentence.
With each blink, tears
spread across the cornea (front surface of the eye) providing lubrication, reduced
risk of eye infection and removing foreign material. Excess tears drain into small drainage ducts in the inner corners of the eyelids. Dry eyes can occur when tear production and drainage is not in balance.
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Dry Eye can lead to loss of sight due to corneal scarring, so
delaying treatment is not recommended.
If Dry Eye is left
untreated, Dry Eye can progress to a more irritable, troublesome
condition called chronic conjunctivitis; and it can cause considerable
trouble. When patients experience corneal scarring from Dry Eye, sight
may be restored by corneal transplants. However, the original cause of
the scarring should be addressed to prevent a recurrence of vision loss. |
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