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Dry Eyes Need Special Artificial Tears

Posting Date: 07/18/2001

You do it once every five seconds without even thinking about it. When you're feeling nervous or threatened you're likely to step up the pace. But if you spend a lot of time staring at a computer screen, you may do it less than you should.

Blinking is essential for keeping eyes clean and free of dust. More importantly, however, blinking spreads new tears evenly over the surface of the eye and helps remove old tears to keep this critical fluid at proper concentration.

Tears are usually taken for granted. Sure, people pay attention when tears are overproduced because they run down your face and show that you are feeling sad or happy. But tears are essential for the health of the eye. They carry oxygen and nutrients to the cells on the surface which have no direct blood supply.

Millions of people in the U.S. suffer from dry eyes, a condition that can make life miserable. Victims describe a gritty sensation like sand in the eye even though nothing is visible. Some people complain of a constant burning feeling. These symptoms often get worse as the day goes on, and can seriously interfere with a person's quality of life. In extreme cases, the dryness can lead to corneal damage.

Dry eyes can be caused by reduced tear production or increased evaporation from the surface of the eye. In some people the immune system attacks the tear glands just as it destroys other body tissue. This can lead to dry eyes in rheumatoid arthritis, lupus and Sjogren's syndrome. Conditions that reduce the cornea's sensitivity reduce blinking and tear production, too. That is why diabetes, herpes eye infection and laser eye surgery (LASIK) may sometimes result in dry eyes.

Treating this condition has been a challenge. For decades, eye experts didn't understand the underlying process. They recommended artificial tear solutions containing preservatives that sometimes made symptoms worse. But one enterprising medical student had a flash of insight 25 years ago that revolutionized the treatment of dry eyes.