Dry Eye Syndrome: Treatment, Cost and Side Effects

Dry eyes syndrome develops when your tear ducts are affected and the production of tears is reduced. This condition can also crop up if the moisture in your eyes evaporates too quickly. It can be a result of an underlying medical condition like rheumatoid arthritis or lupus too.

If you are suffering from dry eyes syndrome at a mild level then an assortment of eye gels and ointments will improve your situation. These ointments include preservative free eye drops and oily tear drops. Dry eyes can also develop if you have conditions related to inflammation. In such cases you might be prescribed corticosteroids. However, steroids have many side effects. Therefore, talk to your doctor before taking them.

Immune system impairment can lead to the development of dry eyes. In that case ciclosporin eye drops might be recommended for you. Oral tetracyclines are medicines that are given to treat inflammation.

If your condition is severe then you might have to undergo surgery. These surgeries include punctual occlusion, salivary gland auto plantation.

It is true that there are several treatments to cure dry eyes. But all these treatments exist to treat the symptoms and not the condition itself.

Dry eye syndrome is a condition that develops when the eye loses enough moisture. An underlying medical condition can also lead to the cropping up of this condition. There are several treatments available to alleviate the difficulties related to dry eye syndrome. However, there is no complete cure available. Therefore, you might have to continue a prolong treatment and be under regular checkups.

There exist a multiple numbers of gels, oils and lubricants that help you to retain some moisture in your eyes. These medicines work well if your symptoms show moderate signs of dry eye syndrome. One such medicine is artificial tear drop. This medicine works to give your eyes the required moisture. If you need to use eye drops for more than 6 times a day, you must use preservative-free drops. These medicines prevent the formation of bacteria in the medicine bottle.

Oily tear drops are another form of eye drop. This medicine works to prevent the eyes from evaporating a lot of moisture. If you have dry eyes syndrome as a result of inflammation, you might be given corticosteroids. In rare cases surgery might be required to improve your situation. There are mainly two types of surgeries for dry eyes syndrome. These include:

Punctual occlusion: This is a surgery that involves the sealing off of your tear ducts so that your surface tear cannot seep into the ducts and the moisture is retained.

Salivary gland auto transplantation: In this surgery your salivary glands work as substitute of your tear glands. This treatment is considered when all other procedures have failed.

Symptoms of dry eyes include burning sensation in the eyes, itchy eyes, heavy eyes and fatigued eyes. Lack of moisture in your eyes can also lead to the development of blurry vision. If you are observing such symptoms lately, you must seek medical support.

Anybody who is not suffering from dry eyes does not require to undergo treatment for dry eyes. Apart from vision problems there can be various underlying medical conditions that can lead to dry eyes, for example, thyroid disorders, lupus, and rheumatoid arthritis. In these cases a person need to undergo treatments to cure these ailments and just eye drops and ointments meant to retain moisture in the eyes will not do.

Mostly the treatments that are implemented to improve this condition are risk free. However if you are given corticosteroids you should talk to your optometric regarding their doses. This is because these medicines increase your chances of developing cataracts. Corticosteroids also increase the pressure inside your eyes.

If you are undergoing eye treatment for dry eyes you need to to make sure that your aftercare regime includes staying away from dry and windy atmosphere. You can also compress your eyes with warm water, then, rinse your eyes thoroughly. You can also take omega 3 fatty acid and vitamin supplements. These medicines help to retain the moisture in your eyes. While going out you must wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. Stay away from smoking and maintain a good distance between yourself and the computer.

You will observe some improvement very soon post treatment. If your condition is severe and you undergo surgery, it will not take more than 3 weeks for you to recover. However, you must remember that the treatment will alleviate the symptoms and there is no complete cure. You might have to use eye drops on a regular basis to get relief.

If your condition is improved with the help of eye drops or eye oinments, the price will be between INR 200 to INR 900 (depending on the brand of the medicine and your condition). However, if you are required to undergo surgey then prices will obviously increase.

Surgeries and various approaches can be implemented to improve your situation to a great extent, but, that does not mean that you will be completely cured and no medicines will be required further. If you are given eye drops, for exanple, you might have to keep using them on a daily basis to keep your eyes moist.

Some of the natural remedies that will improve your condition in case you are suffering from dry eyes include enough consumption of fatty fish, walnuts, soybeans and eggs. You can also take supplements rich in omega 3 fatty acid. Apart from that you must rest your eyes. Warm water compress will also help significantly to improve your situation. Wear sunglasses in a dry environment.