Could You Have Dry Eye Without Realising?

It sounds like it should be pretty straightforward, shouldn’t it – dry eye disease is just when the eyes feel dry, right? While some aspects about eyecare are pretty straightforward, dry eye disease is unfortunately not always one of them.

Dry eye disease, or dry eye syndrome, is increasingly being recognised as a rather complex condition with a myriad of contributing factors. There are even different types of dry eye – who would’ve thought!

The symptoms of dry eye disease can be incredibly variable, and the symptoms (what you feel) are not always matchy-matchy to the signs (what your optometrist sees).

It is even possible for you to demonstrate some symptoms of dry eye disease without even realising what they are. You may experience:

• The feeling of a foreign particle stuck in your eye.
• Stinging or burning.
• The inability to wear contact lenses for a long time or at all.
• Variable vision that fluctuates every time you blink.
• A sticky, filmy sensation of the eyes.
• Watery eyes (yes, watery eyes can be a sign of dry eyes!).

Fortunately, we have a whole range of management options for dry eye. This could be as simple as modifying your environment to as fancy as intense pulsed light treatment. If you suspect you may have dry eye, please call the team from Outlook Eye Centre today.