Winter is here, and so is Dry Eye
If you are one of the millions of people who experience Dry Eye symptoms, then you know the constant irritation that can be a disruption to work and leisure time. Dry eye is caused in part by blockages in your meibomian glands, which are located in your eyelids. Symptoms of dry eye included burning sensation, itchy eyes, aching sensations, heavy eyes, fatigued eyes, sore eyes, dryness sensation, red eyes, photophobia (light sensitivity), blurred vision. Though it is best to see your Doctor for treatment for dry eye, here are a few things you can do at home for some relief.
Exercise your eyes
In today's technology world of smart phones and tablets we find ourselves becoming "partial blinkers". When we blink less, we produce less oils for lubrication and our glands become clogged and drop out. Glands that drop out can not come back, for that reason it is important for your eye doctor to check those glands at every visit.
This simple eye exercise should be done a few times a day to make sure your eye continue to be lubricated. Look away from any device you may be looking at, close your eyes, and squeeze your eye lids for 5 seconds. Repeat for about 2 mins. You didn't even break a sweat. Doing this a few times a day will help your meibomian glands stay free and clear.
Supplements and Diet
Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to combat dry eye. Not only are those fatty acids good for your heart and brain they also reduce inflammation in your eyes caused by dry eye. Taking a dry eye supplement like PRN Dry eye Omega or eating foods rich in Omega 3's can help with your dry eye.
Hygeine
Your eye lids are the least properly clean part of your body. Dirt and debris constantly pile up on your lids and eye lashes. Some people can also develop mites on there lashes called demodex. When your eye lids and lashes become clogged with debris and mites they become inflamed and will not produce the oils you need for proper lubrication.
You can clean your lids with baby shampoo but that does not have the same scrubbing power like a lid wipe. Blink lid wipes are great for day to day cleaning and are a great add on to your morning routine. A lid wipe like Blephadex or Cliradex are more medicated to take care of those nasty demodex mites.
Long Term Treatment
Most of the time the above "at home treatments" can be enough to relieve your dry eye issues. If you have any dry eye symptoms, you may have MGD and you may want to talk to your eye doctor about long term dry eye treatments. This may include prescription artificial tears, Puctal plugs, or treatments like Miboflo or Lipiflo. Miboflo and Lipiflo are both in-office treatments that use heat and expression to make sure your meibomian glands are open.
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