Happy Holidays!!!

Up here in the Nor

thland we've been flirting with winter weather for months now, but I know the low humidity is here when my eyes start to feel dry, scratchy, itchy, burn, sting, or all of the above. That's right, despite all the frozen moisture on the ground, the air has relatively low humidity in the winter. This can be exacerbated by heaters and furnaces blowing drier air to heat our environments. Just as our hands begin to dry in the winter months, our eyes can be susceptible to feeling drier in the winter. 

There are many different components that cause dry eye syndrome, and fortunately for us, there are many different treatments that can be utilized to treat dry eye syndrome. 

One cause of ocular dryness may be related to our lacrimal gland or tear gland. In some cases, this gland simply does not produce enough watery (aqueous) tears to maintain the integrity of the ocular surface. This is called aqueous-deficient dry eye syndrome. This can be related to some autoimmune conditions such as Sjogren's Syndrome. In other cases, it can be related to medications or even age. Depending on the etiology of aqueous-deficient dry eye syndrome, your doctor may recommend additional testing or specific treatments aimed at improving tear production or tear supplementation. 

Another cause of ocular dryness is related to dysfunction of a different type of gland, the meibomian gland. These glands are numerous and located within the upper and lower eyelids. Their job is to secrete oil to prevent the watery (aqueous) tears from evaporating too quickly. Since these glands produce an oily substance, they can become clogged and no longer secrete the oily substance. This leads to your tears evaporating and your eyes feeling dry. Oftentimes, this can be treated with a warm compress over your eyelids to soften the oily substance and allow it to spread smoothly over your ocular surface. In more advanced cases, your doctor may recommend supplements or artificial tears to supplement your tears. 

Finally, our work and home environments can also play a role in the causes of dry eye syndromes. Whether you work in a dusty environment, work on a computer screen many hours a day, or sleep with a fan on, all of these environmental factors may play a role in the cause of your ocular irritation. In some cases, eliminating the inciting factor may alleviate symptoms and when removing the irritant isn't possible, your doctor may have suggestions for treatments to help cope with your symptoms. 

Regardless, if you are having any persistent dryness, redness, scratching, itching, burning, stinging, watery eyes, intermittent blurry vision or any combination of these symptoms, please visit one of our doctors to further evaluate your symptoms and discuss a regimen to help your eyes feel better and allow for more comfortable vision. We want you to see your best to enjoy all of your favorite winter activities whether it's a fresh dusting of snow, the lights of Bentleyville, a beautiful Christmas tree, or a loving family gathering together!

~Dr. Whitney