Dry eyes disease or dry eye syndrome, occurs when your tear glands do not produce enough tears to lubricate your eyes. This condition can be painful and uncomfortable. It can be caused by both environmental and medical factors.
This can lead to your eyes becoming red, swollen, irritated and drying out. Dry eye syndrome is called as “keratoconjunctivitis sicca“, or just “dry eyes“.
Symptoms of Dry Eyes:
According to NHS UK, the symptoms of dry eyes include:
– Blurred vision
– Dry, scratchy and painful sensation in both of your eyes
– Light sensitivity
– Fatigued eyes
– Mucus in or around your eyes
– Feeling like something is in your eyes
Factors that Can Cause Dry Eyes:
– Certain Medical Conditions
– Certain Medications
– Environmental factors
Natural Remedies for Dry Eyes:
1. Adding Fatty Acids Into Your Diet
Adding omega-6 and omega-3fatty acids to your diet may help relieve dry eye symptoms and signs. These are available as supplements and also in foods such as salmon, flaxseed, vegetable oils and sardines.
2. Blink Often
Staring at a computer reduces the amount of times you blink per minute. Therefore, try to blink often when you are online.
Another easy trick to keep your eyes moist when using the compute; Set your screen below eye level. You do not have to open your eyes as wide, which can help slow tear evaporation between blinks.
3. Stay Hydrated
Every part of your body needs water to stay healthy, and this includes your eyes. Drinking water can help keep them moist.
But don’t wait until you are thirsty to sip water. You may already be slightly dehydrated, if you do this.
Instead, drink at least 8-10 glasses throughout the day. If you do not like plain water, any other liquid that does not have caffeine or alcohol will do. Water-rich foods such as watermelon and cucumbers, also count.
One way to know if you are well-hydrated is to check your urine. If it is light yellow or colorless, you are likely getting enough fluids.
4. Warm Compresses
Tears are made of water, oil and mucus. Your eyes need all of these parts to stay healthy and moist. Flaky and inflamed eyelids may clog the oil, thus making glands along the edge of your lid and lead to dry eye.
1. To help remove irritation and loosen the flakes, wet a clean washcloth using warm water, wring it out, and place it over your closed eye for about 1 minute.
2. Gently press the edge of your eyelid using your finger. This can help squeeze out the clogged oils. The moist heat can help loosen up the clogged oils in the glands.
3. Wet the cloth often, so it will stay warm. You may need warm compresses daily, to help lower inflammation, even after your eyes feel better.