1. Understand and Treat Symptoms
Dry eye syndrome, often abbreviated as DES, can be painful, unseemly and potentially incapacitating. Some of the symptoms you might notice include blurred vision, a heightened sensitivity to light, a sense that there's a grain of sand in your eye at all times, burning, redness and an increased sensitivity to wind and cold. DES patients also often describe their symptoms as worse when they're tired or after they've strained their eyes.
2. Get Medical Care
A doctor who specializes in ophthalmology can diagnose the cause of your DES and prescribe medications, artificial tears and even surgery to relieve the symptoms and allow you to go on with your life. Your doctor may perform a slit lamp examination to look for damage to the cornea and to examine the stability of what's known as the tear film. Other tests that the doctor may perform include a Rose Bengal test and a Schirmer test, which quantifies the volume of tears your eyes typically produce. The fewer tears you produce, the more likely it is that you have some form of dry eye syndrome.
3. Treat the Root Cause of Your Dry Eye Syndrome
In some cases, dry eye syndrome can indicate an autoimmune disease. To restore normal vision, you may have to treat this disease first. Alternatively, the tear glands may be malfunctioning or overproductive for some hormonal reason. In this case, you'll need to treat the source of the hormonal malfunctioning.
4. Care for Yourself at Home
Turn off fans to reduce airflow. This will help you avoid drying out your eyes further. Plug in a humidifier to ensure an adequate moisture flow in the air. Use gels, eye drops and other lubrications to keep your eyes moistened and to avoid damage to the cornea. Follow instructions for all medications, and never devise a treatment program for dry eye syndrome without first consulting your ophthalmologist.
