Are you dealing with a burning, gritty sensation, redness, or teary and stringy mucus in the eyes? Then, you must be suffering from a dry eye condition. Having dry eyes is, unfortunately, one of the most common eye issues you can experience.
Various biological or external factors may cause it. Aside from that, it can suddenly occur in certain situations, like riding a bike in windy conditions or staring at a computer screen for long hours.
Fortunately, there are now various eye treatments made available in the market that you can use, such as dry eye spray, eye drops, ointments, and gels. Using the right treatment for your eyes can help reduce the discomfort and additional risk. Although you have all these options, choosing the right product may be a challenging task for you.
Though all products promise the same thing, only certain ones work, and using the wrong ones may worsen your eye complications. To help you choose which eye drop is the right one for your dry eyes, here are some of the tips you may find useful. But before that, take a moment to learn more about what causes dry eyes and the signs and symptoms.
Table of Contents
What Causes Dry Eyes?
Various reasons can cause dry eyes, mainly: a lack of balance in your tear system, such as reduced tear production or poor tear quality. It can also be because your surroundings could dry out your eyes.
Several other factors can affect the production and quality of your tears, such as:
- Certain medications, such as decongestants and blood pressure drugs
- The natural process of aging
- Side effects from eye surgeries such as LASIK
- Environmental factors like windy or smoky conditions
- Health conditions such as arthritis and thyroid problems
- Frequent use of contact lenses
- Eye strain or fatigue from staring at a computer screen for hours
Signs and Symptoms
Dry eyes can affect everyone differently. Depending on the biological and environmental factors mentioned above, dry eyes can be chronic or temporary. And it can also affect one or both eyes. So if you are suffering from dry eyes disease, you may experience the following:
- Redness of eyes
- The feeling of having something stuck in your eyes
- Excessive eye itching
- Burning, stinging, scratchy or gritty sensation
- Sticky, rubbery mucus in or around your eyes
- Being overly sensitive to light
- Having trouble with nighttime vision
- Blurred vision
- Watery eyes as a response to irritation
- Eye strain or fatigue
- Feeling discomfort when wearing contact lenses
Tips for Choosing the Right Eye Drop
Eye drops, as a treatment for dry eyes and other eye issues, are more commonly and widely used than other products. With thousands of eye drop brands and products in the market, choosing the best one to ease discomfort may require more time. To help you choose, here are some of the tips you should follow:
1. Determine the cause of your dry eyes
The first thing you should consider before buying an eye drop is the cause of your dry eyes. The right eye drop depends on what’s drying your eyes. Certain products are very specific, including chemicals and other formulations that will help treat or prevent certain causes.
If unsure of what causes your eye discomfort, you should consider booking an appointment with your eye doctor.
2. Know your symptoms
Determine and note all the symptoms you are experiencing and their severity so that you can choose the right eye drop that will treat and prevent them. Remember that what works for others may not work for you.
You may also consider buying eye drops that help ease other eye conditions like sore eyes and sensitivity to contact lenses. This way, you can ease more of your discomforts.
3. Be conscious of the possible side effects
When using a product, especially medications, you should always be aware of the possible side effects. Although others may not experience side effects after product use, you, on the other hand, can. Possible side effects of eye drops may include the following:
- Blurred or cloudy vision
- Burning, stinging, or itching in your eyes
- Eye irritation
- Redness of the eyes
- Widened pupils
- Other allergic reactions
Once you experience prolonged or severe side effects, immediately stop using the product and visit your eye doctor.
4. Do not stick to one product
There are thousands of eye-drop brands and products; you can find hundreds in your local store. To find the right eye drop for your dry eyes, do not be afraid to try different brands to see which one works for you. Remember to try at your own risk.
5. Know when to make a switch
Once a product starts giving you prolonged negative side effects, it’s time that you make a switch. Here are other signs that will tell you when to move on from that product use:
- Discomfort from dry eyes is not getting better even after repeated use
- Symptoms are only getting worse
- There are more negative side effects than a feeling of ease
6. Check your eye sensitivity
Although some eye drops contain preservatives, others don’t. Certain products with preservatives may work for others but not for you. You may also find yourself experiencing more side effects if you use eye drops with preservatives due to sensitive eyes.
7. Talk with your eye doctor
If you are still uncertain which eye drop to use, have an eye examination and talk with your eye doctor. They can give you eye drop recommendations and tell you which chemicals or ingredients to look for. This way, you will feel more at ease and confident that the product will work, and there will be fewer risks.
Care More, Feel Better Faster
Eyes require more attention and care than you may think. They serve as your guide and vision of all your surroundings. Before experiencing more eye issues, you should take action now. Give your eyes more care than they need and deserve.
References:
https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/right-eye-drops-dry-eyes
https://www.webmd.com/eye-health/eye-health-dry-eyes
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dry-eyes/expert-answers/artificial-tears/faq-20058422
https://foresee-eyecare.com/how-often-should-you-use-eye-drops-for-dry-eyes/
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/dry-eyes/symptoms-causes/syc-20371863
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