Dry eye relief.

Is it possible to relieve the dry eye? Today I met a patient who came to my clinic for the first time, after having visited several doctors before.

The patient told me that she has presented tearing, discomfort with light, sensation of having something in her eyes, irritation and occasional blurred vision. I did a complete ophthalmological examination and the OSDI evaluation (specific to classify dry eye) but I will only comment on the relevant points. For example, although the blurred vision improved with blinking, the dry eye tests were altered.

Dry eye is a disease caused by a tear film disorder; It presents with inflammation of the surface of the eye and changes in corneal nerve sensitivity that cause the discomfort, such as those described by the patient. In the world about 100 million people are affected by this disease.

There are different types of dry eye depending on the layer of the tear film affected. The most common risk factors are: female sex, smoking, asian origin, screen use, contact lens use, refractive surgery, sex hormone disorders, autoimmune diseases, and the use of fans or air conditioning.

Some of the tests to diagnose dry eye in the clinic include: tear breakup time, osmolarimeter, corneal staining with fluorescein or lissamine green, corneal or conjunctival sensitivity, and Schirmer’s test.

Based on my patient’s symptoms and abnormal tests, I diagnosed her with mild dry eye syndrome. It is very important to mention that the type of treatment depends on the cause of the dry eye and the severity of the disease. Treatments include: general care, use of lubricating drops, topical anti-inflammatories, autologous serum, temporary occlusion of puncta, intense pulsed light therapy or thermal pulsation system.

For my patient, the treatment was general care and applying lubricating drops. Finally, I would like to remind you that it is possible to relieve dry eye, as long as the treatment is personalized.