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“Dry Eye stems from an unhealthy state of our tear firm…”
Dry Eye stems from an unhealthy state of our tear film. When we blink our glands produce tears that coat our eyes. These tears are made of three primary components to moisturize and lubricate our eyes. First component is the lipid layer, which prevents the tear film from evaporating. Second component is the aqueous layer, which contains water and nutrients for our eyes. Third is the mucin layer, which helps spread the tear film evenly over our eyes.
Chronic or long-term dry eye can occur when the tear glands don’t make the right amount or quality of tears to keep your eyes moist and protected. If you don’t have enough tears or an unhealthy tear film, dry spots can occur. These dry spots can feel painful and uncomfortable. They can be very irritating and cause burning or stinging. Chronic dry eye can damage the surface of your eyes and your vision. If you experience chronic dry eye, it is important to see an eye care specialist to seek treatment.
If you’re experiencing dry eye symptoms like the ones listed below, it is important to see an eye care specialist to correctly diagnose and treat your dry eye problem.
Causes of Dry Eye
Contact Lenses
Long-term, continual use of contact lenses can causes dry eye.
Aging
As we grow older, our eyes make fewer tears, which can lead to dry eye. Many women entering menopause experience dry eye due to hormonal changes.
Frequent Eye and Eyelid Infections
Frequent infections in your eyes or eyelids can clog your eyes’ tear glands, causing dry eye.
LASIK and Eye Surgeries
Many patients experience dry eye after having LASIK or other eye surgeries, such as cataract surgery and lens replacement. Dry eye often goes away within 3 – 6 months after surgery. Sometimes, it lasts longer.
Smoking
Smoking exacerbates dry eye symptoms.
Alcohol
Consuming too much alcohol causes the body to become dehydrated. Dehydration from alcohol consumption can cause dry eyes.
Eye Medications
Many eye drops contain preservatives. Long-term use of eye drops that contain a preservative called benzalkonium chloride (BAK) have been shown to damage the surface of the eye and contribute to dry eye disease.
Other Medical Conditions
Conditions such as arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, thyroid disease, or Sjögren’s syndrome can cause swelling, redness, and pain in the tear glands.
Environment
When you are inside a home or an office, too much heat, air conditioning, or other forms of forced air can cause dry eye. Long-term viewing of a computer screen, television, or other digital monitor can also cause your eyes to become dry and tired. When you are outside, increased levels of wind, dust, heat, or smog can irritate your eyes and lead to significant dryness.
Personal Health
When you are inside a home or an office, too much heat, air conditioning, or other forms of forced air can cause dry eye. Long-term viewing of a computer screen, television, or other digital monitor can also cause your eyes to become dry and tired. When you are outside, increased levels of wind, dust, heat, or smog can irritate your eyes and lead to significant dryness.
Computer Vision Syndrome
American Optometric Association defines this as a group of eye and vision-related problems that result from prolonged computer use. Many individuals experience eye discomfort and vision problems when viewing a computer screen for extended periods. The level of discomfort appears to increase with the amount of computer use. Related symptoms are eyestrain, headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, and neck and shoulder pain.
Medications
Medicines such as allergy drugs, blood pressure medications (beta blockers), and birth control pills can cause dry eye. Be sure to tell your eye care specialist about all the medicines you are taking, including the medicines you can buy at the store without a prescription, for example, aspirin or allergy pills.
Dry Eye Symptoms
Depending on the stage of severity of your dry eye, the symptoms experienced can be different ranging from sudden bursts of watery eyes, to dryness of the eye, tired feeling eyes, and gritty (similar to a grain of sand in your eye).
- Eyes feel dry
- Burning, itching, stinging sensation
- Feeling uncomfortable with contact lenses
- Watery eyes
- Frequent eyelid infections / sties
- Eyes feel tired
- Scratchy, gritty feeling
- Red / “bloodshot” eyes
- Feels like “something” in your eyes
- Blurry / Hazy vision
- Sensitivity to light / pain from bright lights
What dry eye might look like
Left untreated dry eye can cause damage to your eyes and vision. If one or more of the symptoms apply for your eyes, seek your eye care professional for proper diagnosis and treatment.
Dry Eye Diagnostics
Dry eye patients are unique in that their individual case could be related to any combination and number of direct and underlying causes. Helping your eye doctor to narrow down if your dry eye is evaporative or aqueous would be the first step. If your eye doctor offers a dry eye survey, complete it. Your answers are 50% of the work to determine your diagnosis. Your eye doctor can then determine the tests they may want to run. Here are a few types:
Staining Tests
Lissamine green, rose bengal and fluorescein staining show where the mucin is no longer protecting the surface of your eye.
Paper Strip and Thread Tests
Measure your tear wetting & tear volume.
TBUT (Tear Break Up Time)
This is the time between your last blink and the first spot on your eye to dry under what is called a slit lamp. This is usually performed with a drop of fluorescein dye to clearly identify the dry spot.
Other Testing
Involves hand-held tear readers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Oasis TEARS is a preservative-free, viscoadaptive, lubricating eye drop formulation with the active ingredient, glycerin, to keep tears on the eye surface for a long time. This unique combination lubricates and moisturizes the surface of the eye for instant comfort. With each blink of the eye, it re-lubricates to provide long-lasting relief.
Oasis TEARS and TEARS PLUS are safe to use as often as needed since they contain no preservatives and the active ingredient, glycerin, is a natural compound. Oasis TEARS lubricating eye drops are recommended and used by eye care professionals to provide long-lasting relief from dry eyes symptoms.
1. Preserved Artificial Tears (Oasis TEARS MULTIDOSE)
Most artificial tears contain preservatives
Usually available in multi-dose bottles
Recommended for patients using drops less than 4 times per day
2. Preservative-Free Artificial Tears (Oasis TEARS and Oasis TEARS PLUS)
Recommended by eye care professionals for patients with sensitive eyes
Recommended for patients on chronic eye medications
Usually available in single-use vials
3. Artificial Tears and ointments in thicker, stronger formulations
Usually recommended for more severe dry eye symptoms and night-time use
Oasis TEARS PLUS is thicker, stronger, and preservative-free
No. Artificial Tears (Lubricating Drops) are specifically used to treat dry eye, and are different from decongestants, contact lens rewetting solutions, and prescription eye drops.
1. Artificial Tears
Specifically made to treat dry eyes by moisturizing and soothing the surface of the eyes for symptoms that include a dry, scratchy and gritty sensation
Oasis TEARS is an artificial tear that lubricates and protects against irritants
2. Decongestants
Used to remove redness due to irritation: works by shrinking the blood vessels to make eyes whiter
Treats red eyes, does not treat dry eye problems
3. Contact Lens Rewetting Solutions
Relieves dryness and irritation that may occur with contact lens wear
Rewetting solutions are only for contact lenses while in the eye
Use Oasis TEARS to lubricate and protect your eyes from irritation and dryness.
Avoid drafts from heating and air conditioning vents in cars, airplanes, and closed environments.
Take frequent breaks to relieve eye strain when using computers and digital screens for long periods of time.
Using a humidifier may help relieve the symptoms of dry eyes.
Remove and cleam contact lenses when your eyes are feeling dry.
Certain over-the-counter medications and prescription drugs can contribute to dry eye problems. Talk to your eye care specialist and communicate what medications are being taken.
If having refractive eye surgery to correct your vision (for example, nearsightedness, farsightedness, or astigmatism), your eye care professional may recommend preservative-free Oasis TEARS before and after surgery.
Your Eye Care Specialist can determine which treatment is best for your specific condition. This depends on whether your Dry Eye condition is mild, moderate, severe. Most people start out using lubricant eye drops to keep eyes moist and comfortable while also protecting the eye surface.
Your eye care specialist may recommend making changes to your environment and also recommend Oasis TEARS to relieve your discomfort.
Your eye care specialist may recommend that you take regular breaks from computers, television, and reading to rest your eyes. This will increase your blink rate and lubrication of your eyes.
Your eye care specialist may suggest decreasing or eliminating the use of certain medications that may cause dry eye.
If artificial tears are already being used several times a day without any relief, your dry eye may be categorized as moderate to severe Dry Eye. Punctum plugs are a treatment option that can be considered.
Punctum plugs are instered into the tear duct of an eye to block tear drainage. This increases the eye’s tear film and surface moisture to relieve dry eyes. Oasis offers a wide range of punctum plugs, including SOFT PLUG® silicone punctum plugs, which are flexible, comfortable, and dependable; and FORM FIT® plugs made of a soft, bendable material that is easily removable. Contact your eye care specialist and ask if punctum plugs would help your chronic dry eye problem when used with Oasis TEARS.
Once your eye doctor understands what may be triggering your dry eye symptoms, they can consider any combination of treatments for effective relief based on your individual dry eye diagnosis.
Lubricating Eye Drops are artificial tears that replace any lost moisture on your eyes’ surface. The viscousness of artificial tears such as Oasis TEARS® PLUS and Oasis TEARS® lubricate the eyes to relieve the gritty dry sensations that cause irritation. Doctors often recommend preservative-free artificial tears such as these. Oasis TEARS® can be used as needed to relieve dry eye symptoms.
Start an eye care regimen. Daily hygiene not only applies to your mouth; it also applies to your eyes. Take care of your eyelids and the delicate skin around them by using a hydrating gel cleanser daily. Lids, lashes and skin get moisturized using a gel cleanser like Oasis LID & LASH®, which increases the skins moisture in two weeks by up to 20% according to a third party testing facility using a Corneometer (a tool to measure skins moisture retention). Ask your eye doctor where eye lid hygiene may be a benefit.
Oasis TEARS OMEGA® 3 uses proprietary methods to remove toxins and metals for highest purity, plus an additional process to enhance the concentration of EPA and DHA.
Oasis TEARS VISION®‘s patent pending formulation supports dietary supplementation for general eye health.
Warm compresses bring relief to your dry eye because of the loosening of the oils in the Meibomian glands located in and around your lids. These glands are what produce the oils (lipids) that get released with each blink and blanket the surface of your tear film. These oils also help to retain the water layer and prevent tear evaporation. Some doctors will recommend holding a warm wash cloth to your closed eye lids, however it may be that the heat doesn’t last long enough. There are compresses or soft cotton cloth eye mask filled with beads that conform to your eyes and orbital bones and hold heat along with compression. These eye masks can be used per your doctor’s recommendation.
Punctal Plugs
Tears drain from your eyes through what is called the puncta and the canal below it called the canaliculous. Punctal plugs comfortably seal the drain, or puncta. This allows your own tears to remain on your eyes for a longer period of time.
Short Term
There are short-term punctal plugs that dissolve in up to 5 days.
Soft Plug®
Collagen Plug
Medium Term
Medium term or extended duration Punctal Plugs dissolve in up to 3 months or up to 6 months.
These dissolvable plugs sit inside the canaliculus and therefore are not visible.
Soft Plug®
Extended
duration 90
Soft Plug®
Extended
duration 180
Soft Plug®
Extended
duration 180-T
Long Term
If a patient prefers that their long-term plugs not be visible, then consider plugs made from hydrogel, a soft gelatinous material. These sit within the canaliculous clear from view.
The traditional long term silicone punctal plug has a cap and anchor design. The silicone plugs have a slightly visible cap exposed over the puncta and an anchor that sits within the canaliculous to prevent, or reduce, the draining of tears.
Punctal plugs come in different sizes so it takes a few minutes for placement and they are easily removed if necessary.
FORM FIT®
Canalicular plug
Soft Plug®
Silicone Plug
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