FIGHT DRY EYE This Allergy Season

 BY NORA HESTON TARTE

Have you ever wondered why your eyes start to feel scratchy, your vision blurs, and your sclera has suddenly become an alarming shade of red? These are all symptoms of dry eye, and it’s often caused by seasonal allergies.

“In the Central Valley, there is little humidity both in summer and winter,” says Mohammad F. Pathan, M.D at Zeiter Eye. Add in the use of air conditioners, fans, and heaters, and problems only get worse. “The air from vents, fans, and in the car definitely dry out the eyes,” Dr. Pathan says. “The tear film that the eye produces to cover the cornea literally evaporates leaving the cornea very dry.”

Ironically, dry eye can even make your eyes tear up due to the lacrimal gland producing extra tears, however, in these cases the “tears” are made up of only water, and no oil, so they evaporate quickly.

If you’re suffering from dry eye, reach for some eye drops, but keep in mind that not all drops are created equal. In fact, many include preservatives that can actually worsen symptoms. “We recommend using non-preservative artificial tears at least four times per day,” Dr. Pathan says. “Although the preservative-free tears are a bit more expensive, you can use them up to every hour with no side effects—much more effective than the bottled drops.”

When drops aren’t enough, try one of Dr. Pathan’s other suggestions. Avoid sitting areas where air from ceiling fans or HVAC reach your face, avoid using a fan over the bed even when you sleep, push car vents to blow toward doors instead of into your face and close off side vents, buy a humidifier for the rooms in your house where you spend the most time, and increase your consumption of omega 3 fatty acids either from diet or with supplements.

If these suggestions don’t help, you may have an underlying condition. “Many dry eye patients have Meibomian Gland disease. The tiny glands on the upper and lower eyelids normally secret oil into the tear film so that the tears don’t evaporate too quickly, but in low humidity environments, those glands can get clogged up and will not secret the oil needed to keep the tears from evaporating too quickly,” Dr. Pathan says. Sjogren’s disease, arthritis, lupus, and fibromyalgia can also cause dry eye.

If you have dry eye that can’t be tamed, contact a physician to rule out underlying causes, or seek the support of an eye doctor to quench your eyes’ unyielding thirst.