Seven Tips On How To Prevent Dry Eye Syndrome

Today, most people are spending more and more time on devices both at work and at home. As a result, dry eye syndrome is a normal occurrence for many patients seen at Wang Vision Institute. At a comprehensive eye exam, Dr. Ming Wang and Dr. Josh Frenkel can offer helpful ways to help reduce digital eye strain and to relieve dry eye syndrome in Nashville, TN.

What is dry eye syndrome?

Dry eye syndrome is a condition that occurs when your tears can’t correctly lubricate your eyes, either from an inability to produce enough tears or the tears produced don’t sufficiently lubricate your eyes. This can lead to patients experiencing the following eye symptoms:

• Stinging or burning sensations

• Stringy mucus in or around the eyes

• Light sensitivity

• Red or watery eyes

• Difficulty wearing contact lenses or driving at night

When you’ve had prolonged signs of dry eyes, it’s important to visit Dr. Wang or Dr. Frenkel at Wang Vision Institute to determine its cause. If left untreated, damage to the surface of the eye, decreased quality of life, or an eye infection can occur.

How is dry eye syndrome diagnosed?

A comprehensive eye exam at our Nashville, TN office helps Dr. Wang or Dr. Frenkel diagnose the cause of your dry eyes. We may measure your tear production with the Schirmer test where we place blotting strips of paper under the lower eyelids to measure tear production after five minutes. We also can use special dyes to determine the condition of your eyes.

How dry eye syndrome is treated

Over-the-counter eye drops or artificial tears can help those with occasional or mild dry eye symptoms. However, it’s recommended that you don’t use artificial tears more than four times daily. If you have persistent or more severe symptoms, it’s more important to get to the root cause of your dry eyes. For some patients who visit the Wang Vision Institute, medication may be causing their dry eyes. Other patients could have an eyelid condition that may be leading to their dry eye syndrome symptoms. Dr. Wang and Dr. Frenkel can prescribe medication that reduces eyelid or cornea inflammation or that stimulates tears.

Tips to prevent dry eyes

To help prevent dry eye syndrome symptoms, follow these helpful tips:

1. Avoid any air blowing into your eyes: This can include car heaters, air conditioners, fans, or hair dryers.

2. Add moisture in the air of your home or workplace: A humidifier can add moisture to dry indoor air that leads to dry eye symptoms.

3. Take eye breaks: If you’re reading or looking at a digital device, take eye breaks. Close your eyes for a few minutes and blink for a few seconds to help spread your tears evenly on your eyes.

4. Wear protective eyewear: Safety shields can be added to the tops or sides of your glasses to block out dry air or wind.

5. Be aware of your surroundings: If you’re traveling, the air on an airplane can be extremely dry. Try to spend your time closing your eyes frequently to avoid evaporation of your tears, which will lead to dry eyes.

6. Position your computer screen below your eye level: If your computer screen is above eye level, you will open your eyes wider to see. This will cause you to blink less. If you keep your screen below eye level, you won’t open your eyes as wide, which will slow the evaporation of your tears.

7. Stop smoking: If you smoke, quit. Smoking can worsen your dry eye symptoms tremendously.

Ultimately, following these prevention tips will reduce dry eye syndrome and will help keep your eyes looking and feeling their best.

Learn more on how to prevent dry eye syndrome

At Wang Vision Institute, Dr. Ming Wang and Dr. Josh Frenkel can offer professional advice on how to relieve dry eyes. We offer comprehensive eye examinations that can diagnose and treat dry eye syndrome for our patients in Nashville, TN. We use many of the best possible vision-care practices that aim to relieve our patients of these uncomfortable symptoms. You don’t have to live with dry eyes forever. Call today to schedule an appointment and allow us to help you to relieve your dry eye symptoms.