Boom! Thunder reverberates through the sky, following a flash of lighting that zipped through the sky. Then suddenly, as if the trap doors had been opened at the base of the clouds, a stream of water begins flowing from the puffy clouds, to the thirsty crops below. In many phenomenons throughout life, items function optimally when they receive enough moisture. Flowers and trees need rainfall to grow. Metal instruments need oil to function properly. Also, dry eye care ensures that our eyes maintain a certain level of moisture.

Tears of Health

You have probably heard or read the term “dry eye” in several advertisements or commercials. However what exactly is it? Dry eye syndrome, or simply “dry eye” happens when people lack the correct formation of tears, or a sufficient number of tears, on their eyes’ surfaces. The tears’ function is to oil the eyes and make them relaxed. As people become older, dry eye becomes more common. Roughly 20-30 million Americans have mild dry eye, while about 9 million suffer from modest or severe dry eye symptoms.

Part of dry eye care is being aware of the symptoms. Those with dry eyes experience constant irritated, aching, burning, and grainy eyes. Receiving dry eye care is important, as untreated dry eyes can result in more serious problems, such as scarring, infection of the cornea, or even permanent loss of vision. Dry eye syndrome must be treated, as it can negatively affect your everyday life.

An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Gallon Of Tears

Dry eye care begins with dry eye prevention. If you have dry eye, avoid hair driers, wind, extremely warm rooms, and smoke. Other preventative measures include wearing eyeglasses instead of contact lenses, using manmade tear ointment at bedtime, and placing humidifiers in rooms that have been heated.

From Dry To Damp

When dry eye cannot be prevented, dry eye care should include treatment. Eyedrops, which often require no prescription, can function as short-term relief. These drops work as fake tears. As you read this article, scientists are working diligently to develop superior manmade tears.

In more serious dry eye care cases, the cornea becomes irritated. In some cases, anti-inflammatory agents are used to combat the dry eyes. An effective dry eye care remedy for short-term usage, includes topical steroids placed in eye drops. However, within a long term, various side-effects can result. Researchers are trying to determine how to restrain the source of the eye’s swelling, instead of simply oiling the eye’s surface. One method is to close the channels from the eye to the nose. Furthermore, sometimes small plugs can be used to reduce how fast the tears drain from the eyes.

As indicated by the driest of deserts, a lack of moisture in an area, often indicates that a standard phenomenon in nature has been deviated from. In the case of dry eye care, the goal is to keep the entire eye moist, like soil that has successfully absorbed a long, slow, and steady rain.