Talking About Eye Exams

Posted on: 18 June 2018

For anyone who hasn't experienced chronically dry eyes, the idea of dry eyes being irritating or painful might seem surprising. However, for people who go through this on a regular basis, dry eyes can seriously get in your way. From the itching and irritation to the blurriness of vision that dry eyes can cause, it's a serious problem, especially if you're going through it daily. Here are three ways you may be able to relieve your dry eye problem for good.

1. Allergy Drops 

One of the most common causes of dry eyes is allergies. Whether it's seasonal, environmental, or even a food allergy, all three can potentially cause your eyes to become dry and irritated.

Working with your eye doctor is the best way to relieve this. They will be able to have you tested for allergies to determine what's triggering your eyes. Eyes often become dry with allergies because the irritation and inflammation caused by allergies result in the tear ducts not working properly. Your eye doctor can prescribe eye drops that will help to control your allergic reaction, which should help to rejuvenate and lubricate your eyes again. 

2. Incorrect Prescription

Another possible cause of your dry eyes is that your eyeglasses or contact lenses' prescription is out of date.

When your vision isn't properly corrected, you take tiny steps to compensate, even if you don't notice. You may stare at things with wider eyes in order to take in more light to see more clearly. You may also blink less to try and make up for the vision deficit. Both of these behaviors expose your eyes to more air. Consider visiting your eye doctor to check your vision prescription. In the meantime, try to be consciously aware of what you're doing with your eyes and try blinking more frequently to distribute tears to lubricate your eyes.

3. Artificial Tears

Lastly, some people's eyes simply don't produce enough tears to begin with. You may even have difficulty crying, even if you want to, simply because your eyes aren't making enough tears. This can cause your eyes to become dry and irritated. If you have allergies, it can make matters even worse, as a lack of tears means your eyes aren't regularly being flushed of allergens, dust, and pollen that might land on the surface of your eye.

If your lack of tears isn't due to allergies, your eye doctor can still help you. Artificial tears are designed to help lubricate the eyes and to take the place of natural tears. These are prescription products that you can get from your eye doctor that work far better for dry eyes than simple over-the-counter saline eye drops.

Having dry eyes can get in the way of your day. If you deal with this problem on a regular basis, talk to your eye doctor to find out what's the cause and to get it treated.