Do you experience redness, excessive tearing, burning or itching eyes? If so, you’re not alone…these are just a few of the symptoms of dry eye syndrome (DES).
Dry eye syndrome, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), is unsurprisingly, the condition of having dry eyes. The symptoms, which can also include blurred vision, can range from mild and occasional to severe and continuous. Scarring of the cornea may also occur in some cases without treatment.
While people have been battling dry eyes for years, based on what I’ve seen in my clinical experience during the continued fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic, I believe that dry eye syndrome will become even more pervasive. With more and more people working from home and spending unprecedented amounts of time each day in front of computers and mobile devices, we are exposing our eyes to higher than normal levels of potentially harmful UVB light, which is a direct contributor to DES. This lifestyle, or “new normal”, will drastically increase dryness in the eyes if you are not careful and be proactive in protecting your eyes.
There are a number of things that can be done to alleviate dryness including the use of quality eye drops or applying a warm compress over the eyes. I would also recommend using eyeglasses that have a lens specially-designed to filter out that UVB light, even if you don’t require corrective lenses. There are a number of ways to take control of this before it becomes an issue for you, and I’d be happy to discuss your options with you anytime during your next eye health exam at any one of Eye Care Group’s three locations.
