Dry eye syndrome doesn’t have to happen, and if it does, the remedies are usually easy to implement. Here are the steps the experts recommend.
If the old saying, “not a dry eye in the house” applies to your workplace, you’re lucky.
For as we told you in yesterday’s Advisor, dry eye syndrome (DES) is a malady that seems to be a growing issue on the job, around the nation, especially as the workforce ages and summer mandates more time spent in air- conditioned building interiors.
Briefly put, DES is just what its name sounds like –a lack in the eye of the natural moisture the body produces to both refresh delicate tissues, and to lubricate eye movements within the eye socket. Take that moisture away, and the result is redness, itching, burning, blurred vision, a sensation of grittiness, or even the frightening feeling of a sharp object stuck in the eye.
Doctors note that the reason that moisture is not present is often that it evaporates too quickly in a highly air-conditioned environment for the body to replace it. (The same thing happens in heated spaces where there is low humidity.) What are the remedies? Here’s what the experts suggest workers do:
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· Drink water, and lots of it! There’s nothing better to keep the body’s water supply replenished.
· Blink more often! And close your eyes for 10 seconds every 5-10 minutes. This lets the moisture build up again.
· Move your desk if the air-conditioning blows right on you. Hyper-cooled air streaming directly past your eyes will pick up and carry off needed moisture very quickly.
· Put a small humidifier on your desk. That’s, of course, if you can’t talk building management into installing a more effective one in the central system.
· Take frequent breaks from computer work.
· Switch from contact lenses to regular eyeglasses when you’re at work. (Free flow of moisture over the eye trumps vanity.)
If the condition continues, medication may be called for. Doctors treat DES by using eye drops known as artificial tears, either in over-the-counter or prescription strength. The ingredient in the drops also comes in ointments, which, since they blur vision, are usually best used overnight.
For more serious cases, corticosteroids are prescribed, or a tiny device called a punctual plug can be inserted into the drains that allow moisture to flow off the eye. The plugs can either be temporary or permanent, and insertion is an office procedure. Occasionally, surgery is used to permanently close the drains.
DES can also be symptomatic of more serious illnesses that inhibit tear formation, so consulting a doctor is advisable if the problem persists.
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