What You Need to Know if You Develop Dry Eye
Dry eye is a condition that can cause everything from mild annoyance to major problems. It can be temporary or chronic and occurs as a symptom of many other eye health problems, even though it is often treated as its own discrete condition. Many people's initial reaction to the feeling of dry eye may make things worse, and if you develop dry eye, you need to know how you can treat it to soothe the irritation. An optometrist at Palmetto Eye in Rock Hill, SC, will be able to help you if home remedies don't work.
Dry Eye Is a Symptom
Dry eye may seem to occur by itself, but it's the result of something else going wrong with the moisture content of your eye and tear film. Your tear ducts could be blocked, or you might not produce enough of an oily substance that also makes up the tear film that sweeps across your eyeball every time you blink. It can also be a symptom of allergies and infections, as well as the result of irritation from something like smoke particles in the air due to wildfires. In other words, you may say you have dry eye, but what that really means is that there's an underlying condition that you need to address along with the dry eye.
Dry eye treatment depends on the cause, although you can add treatments to soothe your eyes, too. Tear duct blockages need to be cleared – see an ophthalmologist for that – and allergies need to be addressed and treated if the dry eye is the result of an allergy. Eye drops can help, although you can see an optometrist first to determine what type of eye drop is best.
Sometimes all you can do is wait it out. Wildfire smoke can dissipate, and because it can get into your home, you might have to just deal with it at some level until the fires end and the smoke clears. Eye drops, again, can help soothe the irritation, but you may have to keep using them until the fire ends.
Find Help with Dry Eye from an Optometrist on Our Team
We at Palmetto Eye in Rock Hill, SC, have optometrists who can help you find the right treatment for your dry eye. Call us at (803) 985-2020 for an appointment so you can find a way to make your eyes feel better.
