5 Home Remedies to Stop Eczema Triggers
Are severe flare-ups of eczema keeping you from living life to the fullest? We discuss five ways you can stop eczema symptoms at home here.
What Causes Dry Eye?
Whether you’re happy or sad, your eyes are full of tears — three layers of them, in fact. Those tear films are made of oil, water, mucus, and special proteins that keep your eyes moisturized, lubricated, and free of infection.
Your tears are created in glands inside your eyes. If any part of these glands isn’t working properly, you can develop what’s known as dry eye. Chronic dry eye can be a complicated and multifaceted issue, causing symptoms such as itching, burning, and a gritty sensation in your eyes.
While many things can cause dry eyes, one of the more common culprits is a condition called meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
At Clover Internal Medicine Associates in Fort Worth, Texas, our team led by Elaine Phuah, DO, MBA, FACOI, and Leon Tio, DO, MA, FACOI, focuses on treating dry eye caused by MGD through a method known as OptiLight.
This month’s blog focuses on what can cause MGD and how OptiLight can help address it.
Understanding MGD
MGD develops when there’s an issue with the gland in your eye that produces the oil part of your tears. You need oil in your tears to keep them from evaporating or drying out too quickly. Most of the time, MGD happens either because the quality of the oil being produced goes down or because the gland that creates the oil gets clogged.
A myriad of things can cause MGD, but some of the more common triggers for the condition include:
- Wearing contact lenses
- High cholesterol
- Inflamed corneas
- Bacterial infections
- Autoimmune disorders like lupus or rosacea
- Retinoid products
- High and low level of estrogen
As you get older, the oil production in your eyes naturally goes down, which can also lead to MGD.
Symptoms often associated with MGD include itching, burning, inflamed eyelids, blurred vision, and feeling like there’s sand or dirt in your eye.
Treating MGD
There are a few ways you can manage MGD on your own. We suggest starting with these helpful at-home management techniques that can reduce inflammation and boost oil production:
- Apply warm compresses to your eye
- Gently massage your eyelids
- Take omega-3 fatty acid supplements
- Carefully wash your top and bottom eyelash lines
Taking antibiotics may also help with reducing inflammation and irritation that’s causing the MGD and dry eye symptoms.
To help relieve dry eye caused by MGD, we also highly recommend going through our OptiLight treatment, which can do the following:
- Improve the function of your eyes’ oil glands
- Reduce the risk of bacterial infections
- Destroy abnormal blood vessels that cause inflammation
- Slow down the rate of tear evaporation
During an OptiLight session, a gel is placed around the treatment area and a shield is placed on your eyes. The OptiLight treatment device then sends intense light pulses to the skin around your eyes. The procedure only lasts about 20-25 minutes and should cause minimal discomfort.
Get expert-level dry eye relief
If you’re constantly struggling with dry eyes, OptiLight treatment might be right for you. It can help treat the MGD that’s causing your dry eyes and give you some much-needed relief.
To learn more about this treatment, schedule an appointment by calling our office or booking online today.
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