Dry eye syndrome is not seasonal. It can happen at any time for any number of different reasons.
However, you may face different dry eye challenges in summer than you would in winter, spring, or fall. You can practice dry eye prevention all year round to help fight the irritating symptoms caused by the condition.
Keep reading to learn more about dry and if you can get dry eye in the summer!
What Kind of Symptoms Does Dry Eye Cause?
Dry eye syndrome has a lot of symptoms. You may experience all or just a few of the following:
- Stinging or burning in the eyes
- Itching in the eyes
- Sensitivity to light
- Eye redness
- Blurry vision
- Eye fatigue
- Watery eyes
What Causes Dry Eye?
Dry eye syndrome happens when your eyes aren’t getting enough moisture. This moisture that nourishes the front surface of your eyes, known as the cornea, comes from tears that your body typically produces naturally.
If your body is not producing enough tears, your eyes will become dehydrated. Not only do tears deliver nutrients to your eyes, but they also create a barrier.
Even if you produce enough tears, you can still get dry eyes. This is because your tears must also be of good quality to be effective.
Besides water, tears also contain mucus, which helps the tears lubricate the cornea. Most often, the root cause of dry eye syndrome is a problem with the production of another necessary component of tears, oil.
Oil coats the tear film and prevents tears from evaporating too soon. Dry eye syndrome is progressive, which means it can get worse if left untreated.
What Can I Do About Dry Eye?
There is a lot you can do on your own to prevent dry eye. The first step is to keep yourself hydrated.
Staying hydrated is essential to combat dry eye syndrome. Your body needs water in order to produce good-quality tears.
You can also try adding a humidifier to your home to passively add moisture to the air and give your eyes an additional source of moisturization. It’s important to try to keep your allergies under control with allergy medication.
If your eyes are itchy, use artificial tears instead of rubbing your eyes. Not only will rubbing your eyes not help, it could end up making the problem worse long term.
How Can Westlake Eye Specialists Help Me?
Dry eye can occur even if you take every step to prevent it. When at-home dry eye treatments do not seem to reduce your symptoms adequately, you may need to seek help from a professional.
The eye doctors at Westlake Eye Specialists in Austin, TX, will develop a treatment plan to relieve your dry eye symptoms. These treatments include:
- Punctal plugs increase the number of tears on your eye’s surface.
- Prescription eye drops help reduce inflammation.
- Lipiflow treatment to help unblock the oil-producing glands in your eyes.
- Prokera and PRP are corneal treatments that can help reduce symptoms of dry eye due to corneal problems.
- IPL therapy uses pulsed light to reduce or eliminate dry eye symptoms.
Are you ready to determine if the symptoms you are experiencing are due to dry eye syndrome? Book an appointment at Westlake Eye Specialists in Austin, TX, today!
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