Chronic dry eye plagues millions of Americans each year. Often a symptom of aging, dry eyes can affect both men and women. Although annoying and irritating, dry eye isn’t usually serious and can be treated at home. Some extreme cases can be taken care of by your local eye specialists, Doc Brock and Dr. Mike.Symptoms of dry eye include waking up with red, dry, irritated eyes (and eye boogers), despite getting a full night’s sleep. Usually, as people age their eyes get drier due to oil glands and tear glands getting clogged up. While many people accept dry eyes as part of aging, they don’t have to. You don’t have to suffer from dry eyes because they are fairly easy to treat:
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Artificial tears available at most drugstores are the easiest and cheapest way to clear up the problem—but you may need some trial and error to find the drops that work best for you.
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Medicated eye drops may help if your eyes are especially dry but they can’t be used “as needed” or long term, as with artificial tears.
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Warm compresses on a daily basis can help unclog oil glands to get them lubricated.
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If you’re one of the rare people whose eyes don’t close all the way during sleep, then moisture goggles may help.
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Visit an eye doctor for in-office treatments if your eyes are very dry and other methods of treatment don’t work. You may benefit from punctal plugs to slow drainage in your eye or lipiflow to seriously clean out your oil glands or laser treatments.
Many people benefit from easy at-home care. For anything more serious, an eye doctor can help.
In 1996, Orlando ophthalmologist, Dr. Magruder, opened his practice and introduced locals to Central Florida’s first refractive surgery center. Since then, he has continued to innovate by introducing game-changing technology and pursuing ongoing education to master the latest techniques. To learn more about the Orlando ophthalmologists at Magruder Laser Vision can do for you, call us at (407) 843-5665 or read our blog for more information!
