Technological changes may contribute to symptoms of dry eye disease in younger individuals.


Dry, itchy, burning eyes are symptoms of dry eye disease (DED), a condition initially believed to afflict mainly individuals over the age of 55. DED occurs when there is an underproduction of tears and/or faster-than-normal evaporation of tears from the surface of the eyes. This causes feelings of pressure behind the eye, a sensation that something is on the eye, and possible sensitivity to light. These symptoms vary in intensity from a mild annoyance, to a more severe pain.

Causes

What exactly causes the imbalance between tear production and evaporation is unclear and appears to be multi-factorial. Some factors which are thought to contribute to DED include:

■Aging (aging slows down natural tear production);
■Various medical conditions (such as some autoimmune diseases);
■The use of some antihistamine and antidepressant medications;
■Eye strain (e.g. when focusing on a computer screen);
■Prolonged exposure to dry or extreme climates.
Is DED undiagnosed among younger individuals?

Technological factors are believed to contribute to dry eye symptoms or even DED in younger populations. For instance, contact lens use and LASIK corrective eye surgery have been associated with a drying of the eyes. Furthermore there has been an increase in the use of computers and similar hand-held devices which cause strain on the eyes, and people are spending more time indoors in dry climate-controlled environments (furnaces and air conditioning take moisture out the air). As a result, it is believed that many more individuals may be suffering from symptoms than once estimated.

Treatment

Fortunately, the majority of cases of DED are mild and can be treated with lifestyle modifications and over the counter treatments (i.e. eye drops). Some tips to alleviate symptoms include:

■Giving your eyes a break when performing tasks that require focus. Try some purposeful blinking to re-lubricate your eyes. Or you can close your eyes for 10 seconds, as needed
■Avoid extremely hot, cold, and smoky environments
■If you are indoors, turn up the humidifier to increase the moisture in the air
■Talk to your optometrist or ophthalmologist about other treatment options
**It is important to seek medical attention for symptoms of DED since chronic dry eyes can lead to abrasions on the surface of the eyes and possibly compromise vision**

This is a great informative post and thank you for it. One thing that I have noticed is that if you work in an artificially lit and climate controlled environment your eyes can get very dry and one office I worked in was terrible for causing me dry eyes, really itchy and sore. I found that the over the counter eye lubricants helped me a lot. I would much prefer to work where you can open a window, but these days, this is more and more of a rarity in modern offices.

That is a lot of very interesting and useful information, thanks for that. I must admit that I do think that the way that we live has a lot to do with how our eyes and other parts of our bodies give us trouble! I am sure that dry eyes was never heard of amongst cave men. We do not do ourselves any favours by the way that we live. There are a lot of over the counter eye moisturisers now and I am pretty sure I had never heard of them until about 30 years back. Worrying!

Great post! I have dry eyes and I'm in my 20s . I'm also a little concerned that this could be damaging my eyes. I've tried taking breaks and using eyedrops but nothing seems to work.

Well there is an eye drop that the doctor can prescribed called disco tears that replaces the moisture in the eyes and is very good and keeps the eyes moist. I think if you have tried a load of stuff without success you might have to go and see an ophthalmologist about this to get rid of the problem.