One of the most common eye conditions affecting Canadians is dry eye disease. This condition is characterized by a dry, gritty sensation over the eye’s surface, and can feel almost as if there’s something in the eye.
Ongoing dry eyes can lead to several other eye complications, but floaters aren’t one of them. Dry eyes impact the eye’s corneal surface, while floaters occur because of changes in the vitreous humor.
However, while dry eyes don’t cause floaters, they can exacerbate one’s awareness of floaters, making them appear more noticeable.
Understanding Dry Eye Disease
Dry eye disease is one of the most common eye conditions and affects approximately 6 million Canadians. It occurs when the eye doesn’t produce enough tears, or when tears evaporate too quickly from the eye’s surface because of an unstable tear film.
There are two different types of dry eye, each having their own distinct causes:
- Aqueous Tear-Deficient Dry Eye: This type is caused by inadequate production of the watery component of tears by the lacrimal glands. As a result, the eye doesn’t have enough tears to maintain proper moisture, leading to dryness.
- Evaporative Dry Eye: This occurs when there is an instability in the tear film, often due to dysfunction of the meibomian glands in the eyelids that produce the oily layer of the tear film. When these glands are inflamed or blocked, the lack of a proper lipid layer allows tears to evaporate quickly from the eye’s surface, leading to dryness.
Despite what kind of dry eye you may have, symptoms often include:
- Redness
- Blurry vision
- Light sensitivity
- Eye fatigue
- Burning or stinging
- Watery eyes
Understanding the common causes of dry eyes can help with prevention and management. These causes include:
- Aging, as tear production naturally tends to decrease as we grow older.
- Certain medical conditions and medications.
- Hormonal changes can contribute to lower quality or quantity of tears.
- Environmental conditions like dry or windy climates and smoke can exacerbate dryness.
The Link Between Dry Eyes & Floaters
Eye floaters are small, shadowy shapes that may appear in your field of vision. They can look like spots, threads, or squiggly lines. They may appear more noticeable when looking at a plain, bright background.
Floaters are caused by tiny pieces of a protein called collagen that clump together in the vitreous humor, the gel-like substance inside your eye that’s responsible for maintaining the eye’s shape. Once these proteins clump together, they cast shadows on the retina, leading to floaters.
Floaters on their own aren’t inherently a concern. They’re harmless and become relatively common to spot as we grow older. However, a sudden increase in floaters, especially if accompanied by flashes of light or loss of peripheral vision, could indicate a more serious condition, and requires immediate attention from your optometrist.
Dry Eyes & Floaters
There’s no direct relationship between dry eyes and floaters. These conditions affect different components of the eye’s structure.
Dry eyes affect the corneal surface, while floaters are related to changes within the vitreous humor inside the eye. The discomfort from dry eyes may heighten one’s awareness of floaters, but dry eyes don’t cause the appearance of floaters.
Management of dry eye symptoms can alleviate discomfort, improve overall visual experience, and may reduce the appearance of floaters, but it won’t eliminate them altogether.
Dry Eye Therapy & Prevention
Managing dry eye symptoms can be done using a combination of advanced treatments and at-home remedies to target the underlying cause of dryness.
OptiLIGHT by Lumenis
This therapy uses intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy to target the root cause of evaporative dry eye. IPL devices apply a series of gentle, controlled light pulses to the skin around the eyes, which helps to unclog any blockages in the meibomian glands.
The heat generated from these pulses liquify and release any blockages in these glands, helping to restore the natural balance of the tear film and offering long-term relief from dry eye symptoms.
This non-invasive procedure is gentle, safe, and can be completed within 20 minutes!
iLux Treatment
The iLux treatment is a procedure specifically designed to tackle evaporative dry eye. The iLux system focuses on restoring gland function using controlled light-based heat and compression.
This treatment targets blockages within the glands, warming the surface of the eyelid to liquefy obstructions. Following this targeted heat, compressions help to clear blockages in the eyelid glands, improving tear stability and reducing dry eye symptoms.
Like IPL treatments, this procedure is brief and non-invasive, and targets the underlying cause of dry eyes.
At-Home Remedies & Prevention for Dry Eye
These home remedies for dry eye can be used with advanced treatments, to help maintain a stable tear film and offer long-term dry eye relief:
- Omega-3 Supplements: The anti-inflammatory properties found in omega-3s have been shown to benefit ocular surface health by reducing irritation and improving the quality and production of tears.
- Eye Ointment: Apply a preservative-free eye ointment to the lash line before bedtime to help retain moisture and prevent dryness throughout the night. The ointment is thick like a cream and will make your vision slightly blurry.
- Humidifier: A humidifier in your bedroom helps maintain optimal humidity levels to prevent excessive dryness in the air that can exacerbate dry eye symptoms.
- Eye Ointment: Apply a preservative-free eye ointment to the lash line before bedtime to help retain moisture and prevent dryness throughout the night.
- Artificial Tears: Preservative-free artificial tears mimic the natural composition of tears, helping to keep the eye’s surface moisturized.
- Warm Compress: Use a warm compress on your closed eyes and gently massage around the area for a few minutes before bed to help stimulate tear production and alleviate dryness.
Schedule an Appointment
Visiting your optometrist can help determine the type of dry eye you’re experiencing, allowing them to target the underlying cause. They’ll develop the most appropriate treatment option tailored to your ocular needs to alleviate dry eye symptoms.
Connect with our team at Orillia Optometry to schedule an appointment for your dry eye consultation.
