How does dry eye syndrome form and how to prevent and treat it?

2023-11-16

According to reports, many white-collar workers working in office buildings often experience dryness, itching, or even burning sensation in their eyes, which makes them want to shed tears. As a result, when they went to the hospital for diagnosis, they were told by an ophthalmologist that they might have "dry eye syndrome." "Dry eye syndrome" is a name that may seem unfamiliar to ordinary people, but its symptoms are very familiar to software programmers.

What is dry eye syndrome

A survey by the National Institute of Occupational Health and Safety in the United States shows that 90% of people who work in front of a computer for more than three hours a day will experience symptoms such as dry eyes, headaches, irritability, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. In severe cases, Blurred vision or even blindness may occur. This so-called "computer vision syndrome" is a classic example of dry eye syndrome.

Dry eye syndrome, also known as keratitis sicca, refers to a series of eye symptoms caused by pathological changes in the tear film of the eye caused by a variety of reasons, resulting in the cornea and conjunctiva not being properly moisturized. With the modernization of office equipment, household appliances and changes in people's diet, there are more and more patients with dry eye syndrome, and the trend is obviously younger. Experts predict that in the next five years, the number of dry eye patients will increase by 10% per year.

Possible causes of dry eye syndrome

1. Working in front of the computer for long periods of time. As we all know, our tears not only have the function of disinfection and sterilization, but also have the important function of lubricating the eyeball and maintaining the corneal refractive system. Normal people blink once every five or six seconds. However, when people stare at the computer screen for a long time, they will reduce the number of blinks because they are too focused. At this time, the blink frequency will drop to every ten or even twenty seconds. Once, the cornea does not get normal moisture and the disease develops.
2. For people who work in an air-conditioned environment for a long time, due to the rapid evaporation of eyeball water and the lack of air circulation in the office, it is easy to cause hypoxia in the eyes and reduced lacrimal gland secretion, leading to the occurrence of conjunctivitis and dry eye syndrome.
3. Wearing contact lenses for a long time can easily cause dehydration of the eyeball surface because contact lenses easily absorb water. Improper wearing of contact lenses will also aggravate the "water shortage" of the eyes and lead to dry eye syndrome. Moreover, even highly breathable products are not foolproof.
4. Diseases of the eye itself: such as corneal degeneration, blepharitis, trachoma, etc.
5. Primary dry eye disease: due to tear gland atrophy, tear gland removal due to surgery, or tear duct occlusion, resulting in reduced tear secretion or no tears.
6. Other factors: such as age, abnormal female ovarian function, etc.

Prevention and treatment of dry eye syndrome

1. Develop good living habits and avoid staying up late studying or using computers or watching TV for long periods of time; pay attention to eye hygiene and give your eyes adequate rest; blink often and rest for 5 to 10 minutes every hour; In front of other radiant screens, you can close your eyes, look far away, and perform eye exercises to relieve eye fatigue.
2. Adjust your diet and eat more foods rich in vitamins A, C, and D, such as carrots, fruits, seafood, etc.; supplement calcium appropriately.
3. Pay attention to "moisturizing" your bright eyes and use some eye drops to make your eyes moist and smooth, such as artificial tears.
4. If your eyes are often dry and uncomfortable, try not to wear contact lenses and wear ordinary glasses instead.
5. Treat primary eye diseases.
6. Increase your understanding of this disease and seek medical treatment as soon as possible. If necessary, you should go to a professional hospital for further examination and treatment.