Can Dry Eye Cause Vision Problems? Everything About Dry Eye Problems

My father has a bad vision and he suffers from dry eyes and it made me wonder, can dry eye cause vision problems?, therefore I have decided to research it.

So, can dry eye cause vision problems? the quick answer for this is yes, but the good news is that there are lots of symptoms that will appear before you will encounter vision problems.

In order to prevent dry eyes, first, you have to understand the causes for it.

There are good treatments available, both from a doctor and home remedies.

In this article, I will introduce you to the symptoms and causes and I will give you treatment tips and solutions for this problem. 

Dry eyes

One common problem, especially for older people, is eye dryness.
Dryness can be due to a number of reasons mainly physiological.
Because the problem is sometimes accompanied by pain, general tiredness, burning, and discomfort, even to the blurring and vision problems like I have mentioned, so pay attention to the phenomenon and act accordingly.

Want to know the causes, signs, treatment and prevention tips? Read on.

Dryness in the eyes causes

Dry eye is a very common phenomenon and can occur for two main physiological reasons:

1.Improper production of tears.

Here the problem can result from fewer tears or poor quality of tears.
Tears have a very important role in moisturizing the eye and keeping the eye clean (tears help remove dirt from the eye).

Most of the time the tears are not noticeable at all (as opposed to the time we cry), but they exist and are secreted all the time.

The tears consist of three layers: an oily outer layer that delaying the evaporation of the tears and a protein inner layer (both produced by the glands of the eyelids) and finally a watery layer (produced by the tear glands).

In addition, the tears also contain enzymes which have roles to fight the various bacteria that exist on the surface of the eye.

2.Eyelids dysfunction.

Lids have several functions: preventing foreign objects from entering the eye, protecting the eye, protecting from strong light, and in our context of dryness, they are also responsible for wide dispersion of tears on the eye’s surface with every blink and blink.

In cases where the eyelids do not function properly, this may also cause eye dryness.

The causes of dryness of the eyes (from a poor production of tears or dysfunction of the eyelids) are:

• Air conditioning
• Dry weather, sultry, dusty
• Contact Lenses
• Hormonal changes in elderly
• Diabetes
• Autoimmune diseases (diseases in which the body attacks itself)
• Diseases from the outer surface of the eyes
• Eyelid diseases, eyelids with an abnormal position
• Eyelid surgery that can damage the normal functioning of the eyelids
• Use of various anti-allergy drugs, depression, birth control pills, high blood pressure and for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease

Can dry eye cause vision problems?

Yes, along with other symptoms.

Symptoms of the problem of dry eyes are many and varied and include:

• Over-production of tears
• Eye pain
• A feeling of tiredness in the eyes
• Burning eyes
• Eye discomfort
• A feeling of having a foreign body in your eyes
• Hypersensitivity to light
• Red eyes
• Blurred vision

Most signs will appear in both eyes but there are cases in which the problem appears in only one eye.

Dry eye treatment

The problem of dry eyes requires the diagnosis of an ophthalmologist.
In order to make a diagnosis, the doctor will perform a number of tests, including an external examination of the eye, an examination of the existence or absence of eyelid inflammation, and an examination with eye drops that reveal the dryness of the eye surface.

The doctor will perform additional tests as needed, such as checking the level of tear formation, evaporation time, and quality of the tears.

After the diagnosis, the ophthalmologist will decide on the treatment methods that may be:

• Increased drinking water
• Using sunglasses
• Drops of “artificial tears”-Today there are a variety of drops with different ingredients to treat dry eyes, as well as drops that come in ordinary or disposable bottles. It is important to choose drops with an advanced preservative or no preservative at all and try several types until you find the most effective type.
  BAK is the most common form of eye drops.
  It can cause great damage, sometimes more than dryness itself. Today there is a wide variety of advanced drops that can be bought over the counter without this substance
  Teardrops are the basis for treating dry eye problems and can be used without restriction. The relief of symptoms is usually immediate. When relief lasts only a short time and requires treatment of more than four to six times a day, additional treatment is likely to be needed.

• Gel for maintaining eye moisture for a period of time (slow evaporation)
• Suitable Drug therapy for eye diseases and eyelid infections-Drug drops for dry eyes require a doctor’s prescription. They include steroids, drops of Restasis and serum. When it comes to severe dryness, there is usually an inflammatory component of the disease, and drops of this kind help to treat inflammation.
• Steroid drops: These treatments work well against inflammation, but they can cause various side effects, including intraocular pressure and cataracts, so they are not used continuously.
• Restasis drops: Restasis treatment is the only treatment that increases the amount of tears the eye excretes. In the past, the treatment was recommended only in severe cases, but it is now recommended to treat these drops even in milder and lighter cases since the treatment is very safe and almost without side effects.
  The most common problem in this treatment is eye burning during the droplet injection, which causes about 18% of patients to discontinue use.
• Serum: Serum perfusion (the liquid part of the blood) has been shown as a treatment that delivers to the dry eyes many natural anti-inflammatory minerals. It is recommended for patients with severe dryness. It is necessary to receive a referral to the hospital in order to deliver blood for treatment. The blood undergoes a process of cleaning all the blood cells, and then its clear part is given as droplets, which are being used by the patient, just like ordinary eye drops.
• Belfax – There are cases where dry eyes are caused by chronic dandruff on the eyelashes. The dandruff is difficult to remove and it causes itching and is very annoying to the eyes. A new device called “Balafax” removes dandruff effectively and sometimes improves the feeling immediately. The device works by rotating a sponge at its end, removing the scales.
• Probing – Chronic eyelid inflammation is the most common cause of eye dryness and causes excessive evaporation of the tears. This is because the glands on the edges of the eyelids, whose function is to secrete the fatty layer of tears, are blocked. When the oily coating, which slows the evaporation of tears, does not exist, the tears evaporate too quickly, causing dry eyes. PROBING, a new treatment, enables the opening of blocked glands and improving the quality of the tears. The treatment is not painful and is performed after anesthesia with ointment.
• Use stoppage of contact lenses or switch to a different type
• Altering or discontinuing existing medications (some of which can cause eye dryness as we have seen)
• Intervention by permanent or temporary, partial or full blockage of The tears drain holes

Dryness in the eyes and home remedies

Before you experience any type of home remedy, it is important to consult your ophthalmologist to make sure they are not likely to cause you harm.

Here are some remedies for relieving eye dryness:

• Warm compresses:
  Take a pad (preferably a sterile pad) and moisturize it with warm water (note that excessive heat can damage the eye) and place on the eye for a few minutes (until it cools).
  The pad’s moisture will help moisten the eye and the warmth may help release lubricants from the eyelids into the eye.
• Steam device:
  Today everyone uses air conditioners that regulate the heat or cold at home but cause excessive dryness in the air. Some of the moisture in the lost air can be returned by using a humidifier.
  You can also place plates or dishes with water in different places at home as a cheap alternative method.
• Eating food rich in omega-3 (or supplements)
• Reducing coffee drinking
• Using sunglasses
• Alternative treatments – such as Chinese medicine

Dry eyes Preventive tips

If you are diagnosed as suffering from dehydration in the eyes, beyond the medical treatment there are other recommendations that may prevent and alleviate the phenomenon:

• Periodic examination by an ophthalmologist – prevention and early detection is always better than treating the problem that has developed
• Provide rest for the eyes: especially from computer screens.
  If you are a lot of hours in front of a computer or any other digital screen, take breaks throughout the day
• Do not rub your eyes! If you have an urge to rub your eyes that does not stop, you should check it out with an ophthalmologist
• Let your eyes rest from contact lenses.
  Remove them in the evening and on weekends, your eyes will thank you for it
• Wear outdoor sunglasses, especially during the hot months
• Stop smoking – Smoking causes eye dryness

Blocking tear ducts

In situations where there is a significant lack of tear volume (eg, Sjogren syndrome), these drainage openings can be blocked.

Blocking is easy and simple to perform and is done with tiny silicone seals placed by the eye doctor in the openings of the tear ducts.

This prevents tears from draining into the nasal cavity, causing the accumulation of some tears in patients with severe dryness on the surface of the eye.
This brings about a significant relief in the sense of dryness and burning.

The Schirmer test

This test is used to examine the ability of the eyes to excrete tears.
During the examination, a special tape is placed on the patient’s lower eyelid.

The subject closes his eyes, and after a few minutes, the tape’s wetness is checked, indicating the amount of tears created in the eye.

The results should show at least 15 millimeters of moisture on the film. Any result that is less than that indicates a dry eye.

Conclusion

Can dry eye cause vision problems? like I have mentioned earlier, the answer is yes.
Dry eyes problems are common among the elderly but not only, there are also a few factors that might be the cause of it.
Beside vision problems, dry eyes can cause lots of other problems which I have mentioned in this article.
If you suffer from one of the symptoms mentioned above, go to check your eyes with an ophthalmologist.
You can delay, prevent, and ease the symptoms of dry eyes by using the tips and suggestions on this article.

I hope that you found this article useful, if you have any comments, please leave them below.