Evaporative Dry Eye
Evaporative dry eye is a type of dry eye that occurs when tears evaporate too quickly from the surface of the eye. The most common cause of evaporative dry eye is meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
The classic symptom is when you wake up, your eyes feel dry. If you don’t have that healthy oil layer protecting the water layer of your tears, when you wake up in the morning your eyes can feel irritated, they can be red. It can feel almost like your eyelids are stuck to your eyeballs, and when you try to open them, it can range from uncomfortable to extremely painful.
Meibomian glands are small glands located in the eyelids that produce the oily layer of the tear film. This layer helps to prevent tears from evaporating too quickly and keeps the surface of the eye moist. When the meibomian glands don’t function properly, the oily layer of the tear film becomes deficient, leading to an increase in tear evaporation and dry eye symptoms.
MGD can be caused by a variety of factors, including age, hormonal changes, certain medications, environmental factors, and medical conditions such as rosacea or blepharitis. In some cases, it can also be caused by structural abnormalities of the eyelids or a blockage of the meibomian glands.
Other factors that can contribute to evaporative dry eye include long-term contact lens wear, extended use of digital devices, exposure to air conditioning or heating, and living in a dry or windy environment.
Effective treatment of evaporative dry eye usually involves addressing the underlying cause of the meibomian gland dysfunction, such as using warm compresses to unclog the glands, taking omega-3 supplements, or using prescription medications or devices to improve the quality and quantity of the oily layer of the tear film.
If over the counter solutions are not working, or if your symptoms are severe, then you should see a doctor who can refer you to a specialist. An Ophthalmologist can perform an intense cleaning of the eyelids, or assist to clear the oils if they’re clogged in the glands. There are also devices to help with inflammation of the eyelid, which is a key factor in dry eye and evaporative dry eye.
With the younger population starting the use of electronic devices quite young, some even at toddler stage, there has been an increase in dry eye disease and other eye health issues.
There is also the increase in electronic device screen time, as such we are seeing children as young as six are suffering from dry eye disease, an excruciating eye condition which usually affects adults, experts have warned.
It is commonly referred to as Computer Vision Syndrome (CVS). Some of the common symptoms are eye irritation (dry eyes, itchy eyes, red eyes), blurred vision and headaches.
Digital eyestrain often leads to dry eyes. We believe this is partially to blame due to the increase in the use of technology, and in particular screen time as looking at a screen dramatically reduces blink rate.
Dry eye disease occurs when tears aren’t able to provide adequate lubrication for the eyes If left untreated can be extremely painful with symptoms including gritty, sore, red and sensitive eyes.
Sufferers have compared the feeling to that experienced when chopping onions, with a constant sensation of burning. If left untreated, the condition can cause irreversible damage to some of the tear-producing glands in the eyelids.