What Is The Cause And Treatment For Dry Eyes?

Posted on Mon, 2 Feb 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Mon, 2 Feb 2015 Answered on

Thu, 19 Feb 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : Dear Sir - I have been suffering from intense dry eye for several weeks. My Dr here in UK was v unhelpful & said it was 'old age'!! I am nearly 73 but quite fit thro walking about 3 miles most days. I work from home - sadly spending a lot of time on computers. I have read up about eyes & find that Glutathione is need as lubricant so I have altered my diet to include food which will help body to produce it. I was taking capsules but found subtle side effects. I was also using Hyaluronic eye drps which were v good but they always add something which raises my blood pressure. It is a complex subject I can 'see' ! I also went to my optician who has prescribed lenses which are so strong I cannot wear them! All a muddle!! Help!! XXXX

Answered by Dr. Dadapeer K (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Dry eye can be treated no need to be worried.

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Welcome to Health care magic

I am Dr. DADAPEER K, an Ophthalmologist and I answer health problems related to eye.

I reviewed your history.
No need to be worried, dry eye is one of the common problems seen especially in people who use computers more, irrespective of age. This is called as computer vision syndrome.
The treatment is mainly by the use of artificial tears eye drops. I usually prefer to use preservative free eye drops like Refresh tears eye drops.

Along with the use of artificial tears you need to take certain precautions as below.

Avoid continuous exposure to computer screen by taking frequent breaks in between. Break of at-least 5-10 minutes is necessary after using computer for 1 hour.
Washing the eyes regularly with water once or twice a day.
Use of anti-glare glasses to minimize the exposure to computer screen.
Avoiding the use of air conditioner as far as possible which will further increase the dryness.

Hope I have answered your question and the information is helpful to you.

Thank you
With regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Dadapeer K (3 hours later)

Just to say - thank you Dr. I have ordered 'Refresh' Eye drops & hope they suit me!! Thank you for all the advice which I will try to follow. I am very grateful -XXXX

Answered by Dr. Dadapeer K (5 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Thank you

Detailed Answer:
Hello
Thank you for writing to us on Health care Magic.

Do write back to me for further questions.

With regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar