Dry eye is an increasingly common disease which affects an estimated 1-in-3 people in the UK. Dry eye is caused by the natural protective tears which coat the surface of our eye becoming compromised. This could be due to too few tears being produced or a loss in the quality of the tears.
If you are experiencing dry eye symptoms such as sore, gritty, tired or irritated eyes, or you have been given a dry eye diagnosis here are 5 things you really must STOPÂ doing. Your dry eyes will thank you.Â
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Do not …….
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5. Do not make your precious eye do too much screen time
Easier said than done we hear you shout! But eye strain is on the increase with more young people being diagnosed with dry eye. Dry Eye Zone understands that for many people sitting at a screen is all part of their day-to-day job. What you can do is help stop the effects of long hours at the screen by taking short regular breaks. You can try the 20/20/20 rule, which involves stopping every 20 minutes to focus your eyes on something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. Avoiding eye strain might even improve your productivity by keeping those annoying dry eye symptoms at bay. More useful tips can be found here.
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4. Just say no to preservatives in dry eye drops
Harsh preservatives have long been linked with damage to the delicate of the surface of the eye which can make dry eye symptoms worse. There will be certain eye medications where there are no alternatives but this does not apply to dry eye where new generation multi-dose bottles allow you to get the relief you need without those annoying preservatives. Eye care professionals recommend preservative-free dry eye drops, especially when symptom relief requires you to use them several times a day.
Not all eye drops are created equally so ask your eye care professional for advice. You can also learn more about what to look for in a dry eye drop on our website.
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3. Do not even think about false lashes
Everyone one wants head-turning long thick lashes and false lashes or lash extensions might be very tempting, especially as the party season approaches. However, this is not without risk and in one recently published study the researchers concluded that eye lash extensions can lead to an imbalance in the ocular surface environment resulting in symptoms of irritation in over 80% of cases studied and loss of tear film quality. This is especially problematic if you already suffer from dry eye disease. There are safer alternative which need a bit more patience but certainly worth the effort if you care about your eyes. In fact, dry eye sufferers should give extra consideration to all the products they use on or near their eyes – including make-up. In recent years there has been the development of dry eye friendly opti-cosmetics.
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4. You know you should not smoke …. but that includes vaping too
You would need to be on another planet if you did not know the damage smoking does to your eyes, There is evidence that links smoking to many eye conditions including age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy and dry eye disease. However, vaping could also pose unexpected risks to dry eye sufferers. Some recent studies have shown that nicotine and other chemicals in E-cigarettes can affect the tear film. Research has shown that vaping can disturb tear film stability and damage the lipid layer of the tear film. This means that moisture is lost from the surface of the eye at a faster than normal rate, leaving your eyes feeling dry, tired and irritated.
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5. Do not ignore your symptoms
This is the number one thing you really must not do. Dry eye will not just go away, instead it will just get slowly worse and could ultimately lead to permanent damage to the surface of the eye. If Dry Eye Zone had one wish it would be for all those with dry eye symptoms (even mild ones) to seek the advice from an independent eye care professional. You can read more about the chronic and progressive nature of dry eye here.
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You can find more information about the causes of dry eye and its management at Dry Eye Zone blog.
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And don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter for free information updates.
If you are experiencing dry eye symptoms then you should ask the advice of your eye care professional. Why not book your next eye examination with an independent optician today.
Sources:
Reena Mukamal, reviewed by Dr Rebecca Taylor. Eyelash Extension Facts and Safety. American Academy of Ophthalmology. Feb. 23, 2018. https://www.aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/eyelash-extension-facts-safety
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Jiaxin Han, Zihong Xie, Xingwei Zhu, Wanting Ruan, Meng Lin, Zhiqiang Xu, Lijie Miao, Junyang Zhong, Fan Lu, Liang Hu, The effects of eyelash extensions on the ocular surface, Contact Lens and Anterior Eye, Volume 47, Issue 2, 2024,102109, ISSN 1367-0484, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clae.2023.102109.
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Bron AJ, de Paiva CS, Chauhan SK, Bonini S, Gabison EE, Jain S, Knop E, Markoulli M, Ogawa Y, Perez V, Uchino Y, Yokoi N, Zoukhri D, Sullivan DA. TFOS DEWS II pathophysiology report. Ocul Surf. 2017 Jul;15(3):438-510. doi: 10.1016/j.jtos.2017.05.011. Epub 2017 Jul 20. Erratum in: Ocul Surf. 2019 Oct;17(4):842. PMID: 28736340..
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McDonnell PJ, Pflugfelder SC, Stern ME, Hardten DR, Conway T, Villanueva L, Hollander DA. Study design and baseline findings from the progression of ocular findings (PROOF) natural history study of dry eye. BMC Ophthalmol. 2017 Dec 28;17(1):265. doi: 10.1186/s12886-017-0646-5. PMID: 29284427; PMCID: PMC5746001.
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Bandara NA, Burgos-Blasco B, Zhou XR, Khaira A, Iovieno A, Matsubara JA, Yeung SN. The Impact of Vaping on the Ocular Surface: A Systematic Review of the Literature. J Clin Med. 2024 Apr 29;13(9):2619. doi: 10.3390/jcm13092619. PMID: 38731149; PMCID: PMC11084645.
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Walsh K, Jones L. The use of preservatives in dry eye drops. Clin Ophthalmol. 2019 Aug 1;13:1409-1425. doi: 10.2147/OPTH.S211611. PMID: 31447543; PMCID: PMC6682755.
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