ARTICLE BY: Dr. Raewyn Leech

One of the most common ocular complaints, particularly during the colder months, is dry eye syndrome. There is a wide range of symptoms including frequent watering, a sandy or gritty feeling, itching, redness, foreign body sensation, crusts around the eyes, and/or the feeling of dryness. The vision may seem foggy or filmy at times, which is usually intermittent, and tends to occur during tasks involving prolonged focusing or staring, such as when reading or watching t.v. Dry eye symptoms can present in one or both eyes.

Dry eye occurs when there aren’t enough tears on the front surface of the eye, which becomes re-lubricated with each blink. The tears tend to evaporate too quickly if the oily secretions from the meibomian glands are trapped within blocked glands along the eyelid margins (called meibomian gland dysfunction), and therefore not able to properly coat and lubricate the front of the eye. Blepharitis is a common condition involving inflammation along the eyelid margins and may cause redness, itching, and flaking along the eyelashes.

Your eye care professional will be able to closely examine the front surface of your eyes and recommend the most appropriate management. Treatment usually consists of daily warm compresses to reduce inflammation and unplug the oil glands, as well as frequent use of artificial tears which helps to lubricate the surface of the eye and prevents evaporation of the tears. Dry eye is a chronic condition and may require some time before the symptoms resolve with treatment.

Dr. Raewyn Leech is a London Ontario Optometrist practicing at East London Optometry.

MORE INFO: An animation from Ontario Optometrists about dry eye syndrome: