![]() | There is no "cure" available as such for dry eyes, but you can definitely get relief from dry eyes from the different methods listed below. There are surgical, non-surgical, herbal and dietary... |
There is no “cure” available as such for dry eyes, but you can definitely get relief from dry eyes from the different methods listed below. There are surgical, non-surgical, herbal and dietary options available to treat dry eyes.
SURGICAL OPTIONS
1. Permanent Punctal Occlusion- In this process, silicone plugs are used. These plugs hold your tears in the eye itself and also they can be removed easily. Sometimes these plugs may suddenly or unexpectedly come out of the eye or move around the tear drain. Many people feel comfortable with these plugs and can thus reduce their dependency on artificial tears.
2. Temporary Punctal Occlusion- This is a painless method. Here a dissolvable plug is inserted in the tear drain of your eye. This process is temporary, just to verify if your eyes are suitable for the placement of permanent plugs to supply enough tears to the eyes.
3. Other surgical procedures are performed with the help of local anesthesia. The tear ducts which drain tears in the nose are permanently sealed. This holds the tears around the eye surface keeping it moist.
NON-SURGICAL OPTIONS
1. Ointments and Eye drops- Non-prescribed ointments and drops are one of the primary treatments to treat the dry eye. Avoid the drops containing methylcellulose and always use preservative-free eye drops to avoid complications. You can use an ointment at night, if your eyes dry during sleep at night.
2. Humidifiers- Use humidifiers around your work place to moisturize the air. This prevents the mucous membrane in the eye from drying.
3. Steroids- Steroids also provide relief from dry eyes, but should be used after consulting your doctor.
4. Restasis Eye drops- This prescribed eye drop stimulates the eye to produce more tears on their own. It is approved by FDA in the year 2002 for treating the dry eye syndrome.
5. Medications- They are generally prescribed by the doctors. The medicines and the dosage vary from person to person and depend on the severity of the problem.
Treatments at Home: At home, there are certain things that you can do to relieve dry eyes. You should reduce your intake of alcohol as well as salt in your diet as they absorb most of your body fluid. Drink enough water and have proper hydration. You can place slices of cucumber, tea bags or wet balls of cotton on the eye for sometime to get immediate comfort from chronic dry eye. Compressed cold bags wrapped in a towel can also be used for the same purpose.