teens and tweens and contact lensesteens and tweens and contact lenses

About Me

teens and tweens and contact lenses

Do you have a teen or tween that is begging to get rid of his or her glasses and start wearing contact lenses? Do you keep fighting with him or her because you worry about the cost and the potential health risks associated with wearing contact lenses? That is exactly why I fought my daughter about getting contact lenses for about two years. This year, I decided to start researching things a little deeper to find out if all of my concerns were legitimate. Boy, I was surprised when I learned what I did. This blog will share the insight about teens and tweens and contact lenses.

Archive

3 Things Diabetics Need To Know About Dry Eye Disease

4 December 2015
 Categories: , Blog

Dry eye is an uncomfortable eye condition characterized by an inadequate supply of tears. People with dry eye have stinging, burning eyes, blurred vision, sore eyes, and may have trouble wearing contact lenses. About 54% of people with diabetes suffer from this eye condition. Here are three things you need to know about dry eye disease.

How does diabetes cause dry eye disease?

The high blood sugar levels with diabetes can wreak havoc on your body. You probably already know that diabetes can damage the nerves in your feet, but it's less well-known that the nerves around your eyes can also be damaged. When these nerves are damaged, the surface of your eye becomes numb, and this leads to the production of fewer tears. The end result is that your eyes are uncomfortably dry.

Is dry eye disease serious?

Dry eye disease is uncomfortable, but chronically dry eyes aren't just annoying; the dryness can lead to serious health problems. For example, people with dry eyes are more susceptible to eye infections. This is because your tears normally form a protective barrier on the surface of your eyes to keep them safe from infection, but this barrier is missing when your eyes are dry.

Tears also lubricate the surface of your eye, which keeps your eyelids from damaging the eye's surface when you blink. When your eyes are dry, the friction associated with blinking can lead to scrapes or abrasions on your eyes. These scrapes can turn into ulcers, and vision problems may result.

How is it treated?

Many treatments are available for dry eye syndrome. If your case is mild, your optometrist may recommend using lubricating eye treatments like eye drops or gels. If over-the-counter eye drops or gels aren't enough, your optometrist may prescribe a stronger type of drop or gel.

You may also be told to use eye ointment to lubricate your eyes. These products are sort of like lotion for your eyes, and since they make your vision blurry, they're generally used at night. The ointment will keep your eyes moist and protected while you sleep.

If your case is severe, you may need to use corticosteroid eye drops. These drops work by reducing the inflammation associated with dry eye syndrome, which can help to alleviate your discomfort.

If your eyes are uncomfortably dry, you may have dry eye disease, a common complication of diabetes. See an optometrist, like Bethany Vision Clinic, right away so that you can be evaluated and treated.