Often when your eyes feel itchy, what comes to mind is allergy. When the itchy feeling is accompanied by other symptoms like burning, redness, tearing or dryness, you assume it is a more serious allergy; right?
What most people do in this situation is use anti-allergic eye drops purchased over-the-counter at the pharmacy. When these eye drops do not provide adequate relief, they increase the dosage or the frequency of use or buy additional eye drops.
While these eye drops may provide some relief, this is usually temporary and symptoms return immediately after the effect of the drops wear off. The individuals may then resort to using these eye drops over and over in order to perform their daily activities with some relief. Note that while these eye symptoms could be associated with allergies sometimes, they are not always due to allergies.
The commonly misunderstood cause of burning itchy watery eyes is Dry Eye Syndrome . It is a result of an imbalance in the tear film that occurs when the eyes do not produce enough tears or the tears produced evaporate quickly leaving the eye inadequately lubricated.
The surprising thing about this condition is that sometimes it causes excessive tearing. This is because the eye irritation stimulates the eye to produce tears but the tears are usually of poor quality and quickly evaporate from the surface of the eyes. Hence, many people who have dry eye syndrome never suspect they have it. Rather they assume they have an allergy and keep treating that. Unfortunately, anti-allergic drugs worsen the condition. Other eye drops like vasoconstrictors and those that have preservatives also worsen it.
Getting an accurate diagnosis of your eye condition along with a knowledge of its cause(s) is an essential step to healing. Thereafter, applying a personalized treatment plan including conventional care and lifestyle modifications is the best way to relieve your symptoms and get your life back.
- Do your eyes feel like they are burning, itchy, watery or dry?
- Have you tried home remedies or over the counter medications without success?
- Would you like to undergo a dry eye assessment?
Click the button below to book an appointment with the eye doctor. You can also walk into the clinic during work hours.
For enquiries call 08057432289
