Today (October 10th) is Dry Eye Care Day. Once dry eye syndrome occurs, it will cause discomfort such as dry eyes and foreign body sensation, and in severe cases, it will affect normal learning and life. How can dry eye be prevented and treated? Listen to the advice of Qiu Qinghua, director of the ophthalmology department of Shanghai Tongren Hospital.
In the morning, in the consultation room of the Eye Center of Tongren Hospital, 23-year-old Ms. Gao was undergoing an eye examination.
"Recently, I often feel dry eyes and a foreign body sensation, and I still have blurred vision after looking at the computer for a long time." The persistent eye discomfort affected Ms. Gao's daily life, and she decided to come to the hospital for treatment. After a series of eye examinations, Ms. Gao was diagnosed with dry eyes.
Dry eye syndrome, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, is a common and complex ophthalmic condition caused by insufficient tear production, excessive evaporation, or abnormal tear composition, which can cause eye discomfort and visual dysfunction. Common symptoms of dry eye syndrome include eye fatigue, foreign body sensation, dryness, and in severe cases, eye burning, soreness, eye redness, eye pain, photophobia, etc., and may progress to corneal damage. If left untreated, dry eye can develop into corneal ulcers, perforations, or secondary infections that can be a serious threat to vision.
"Ninety-five percent of the patients who come to our clinic with eye strain, foreign body sensation, and dryness are dry eye patients." According to Yau, prolonged exposure to computer screens, lack of adequate eye rest, and poor indoor environment are all important factors that lead to dry eyes.
Qiu Qinghua introduced that the eye surface is covered with a vital tear film, and its main function is to keep the eyes moist and provide necessary protection and nourishment for the eyes. The tear film is divided into three layers, and problems with each layer can cause dry eyes. There are three common types of dry eye: the tear deficiency type, which causes "dehydration" due to the fact that the lacrimal glands secrete less tear; The evaporation type is too strong, because the lipid layer secretion is too small, it cannot lock the moisture on the surface of the eye, thus "lack of oil"; Mixed dry eye, which is both "dehydrated" and "oil-deficient". The treatment of dry eye syndrome cannot be relieved or improved by dropping ordinary syrup, and it is necessary to determine what type of dry eye you have through "dry eye type examination + personalized joint diagnosis and treatment" in order to achieve accurate moisturizing effect.
"Mild dry eyes can be relieved by artificial tears, and patients with moderate to severe symptoms need to add anti-inflammatory, secretion promotion and other drugs, combined with fumigation and atomization, meibomian gland massage, mite removal treatment, OPT laser therapy, thermal pulse therapy and other ways for comprehensive treatment, in order to effectively alleviate and treat dry eye syndrome." For Ms. Gao, Qiu Qinghua tailored a treatment plan of "fumigation atomization + heat pulsation" for her, and arranged a "spa" for her eyes at the dry eye treatment center of the ophthalmology department of Tongren Hospital.
"Nowadays, the number of young people diagnosed with dry eye syndrome is gradually increasing, and they often need to use the computer for a long time at work, but they are more likely to experience eye fatigue than before, and at the same time, they may also have symptoms such as photophobia, blurred vision, and foreign body sensation in the eyes." Qiu Qinghua emphasized, "After the symptoms appear, you should go to the hospital for consultation and treatment in time, and cooperate with the corresponding treatment to relieve the eye discomfort caused by dry eye." If there is no systemic treatment in the early stage of dry eye, it will gradually worsen the condition and may further damage the vision. ”
Staying away from dry eyes, Qiu Qinghua also put forward several life suggestions:
Pay attention to eye hygiene and care
Keeping your eyes clean and moisturized is essential to reduce dry eye symptoms. We can keep the eye moisturized by regularly using saline or artificial tears to wash the eyes. Avoid rubbing your eyes with your hands to avoid aggravating eye irritation and damage. Eyes can be gently closed, or a gentle eye cleanser can be used to cleanse the eye area.
Avoid using electronic screens for long periods of time
Take a break every half hour. When working, the computer screen can be placed below eye level to help reduce ocular surface exposure and relieve eye discomfort. At the same time, be careful to avoid staying up late.
Reduce the amount of time you spend wearing contact lenses, especially contact lenses
Wearing contact lenses or contact lenses will cause damage to the stem cells on the ocular surface, limbus, and epidermal cells on the ocular surface. If you continue to wear contact lenses for a long time, it will gradually cause dry eyes, and even some corneal limbals have new blood vessels, and there is some inflammation of the eyelid margin, causing serious eye discomfort.
Eat a balanced diet
Some specific nutrients, such as Ω-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, vitamin D, etc., have a positive effect on relieving the symptoms of dry eye syndrome. It is recommended that everyone increase the intake of foods rich in these nutrients such as fish, nuts, and green leafy vegetables, and maintain good eating habits.
Writing/Photography: Zhao Li, Ji Jiajia
Editor: Zhu Jiaru
Editor-in-charge: Gao Qin
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