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Dry eyes can plague anyone from time to time, so many of us know what this uncomfortable condition feels like. Oftentimes, issues with dry eyes occur on a temporary basis, such as if you are outside in the cold wind for a long time, or have seasonal allergies. But as we get older, chronic dry eyes become much more common.
Interestingly, you might have dry eyes but not realize it because sometimes the condition doesn’t cause any irritation but instead has some less classic symptoms. For instance, you might find that your vision is blurry, but for a few minutes, such as right after you put in a fresh pair of contacts, your vision is perfect. The blurriness is because dry eyes are preventing your eyes from getting the hydration they need. It changes for a while when you put in fresh contacts because the contact solution hydrates your eyes and eases the symptoms of dry eye.
For seniors and elderly adults, according to a study in BMC Ophthalmology, symptoms of dry eye were reported in up to 30% of those over the age of 65. The frequency of the problem increases with age.1
What are the Symptoms of Dry Eye?
Dry eye syndrome, also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca, often begins very gradually. You might first notice dry eyes when you are tired, such as after staring at a computer screen for hours. Your eyes might feel irritated and uncomfortable, sometimes gritty, leading you to rub them or blink more often.
Chronic dry eye is a progressive condition. Your eyes will get more irritated over time, which can gradually lead to discomfort, blurry vision, and pain.
Here are the symptoms to watch for:
· Your eyes sting, burn, or feel scratchy throughout the day without any clear reason.
· You have strange, stringy mucus in your eyes. This might collect at the corners of your eyes and can especially notable first thing in the morning.
· You find that your eyes are much more sensitive to light than they used to be.
· You feel like there’s something in your eye, like an eyelash or a grain of sand, but there’s not.
· You suddenly have trouble comfortably wearing your usual contact lenses.
· Driving at night becomes more difficult.
· Your eyes are red or watery. The watery sensation is the body’s response to the irritation but it doesn’t actually alleviate the dry eye symptoms.
· Your vision becomes blurry, which might clear up with eye drops, but will soon go back to blurriness.
· You might feel significant eye fatigue and the need to close your eyes quite often.
When your eye doctor looks at your eyes to determine what’s wrong, he/she will check to see if:
· Your eyes aren’t producing enough tears.
· The tears you produce evaporate too quickly to lubricate your eyes properly.
· The tears you produce aren’t the appropriate consistency. They aren’t thick enough to coat your eyes and protect them.
Any problem with your eyes can lead to vision problems, and that can lead to a higher risk of falls. A study in BMC Public Health found that the incidence of falls was 16% higher for those with low vision than those who had ideal vision.2 And since seniors have other risk factors that increase the risk of falls even further, wearing a fall alert wristband or pendant is a very good idea.
The Link Between Dry Eyes and Aging
As we get older, our eyes change. The first thing most aging adults notice is an inability to read smaller print, which is why so many people reach for reading glasses in their older years. This simply comes with age and corrective lenses or contacts can help dramatically.
When it comes to dry eye, there are a few reasons why it increases in frequency as we get older.
· The tiny glands in your eyes that produce tears slowly stop working. There’s often no reason for this beyond aging – the glands simply stop production.
· Some chronic health conditions common among seniors can lead to dry eye. The Mayo Clinic reports that dry eye can go hand-in-hand with arthritis, thyroid disorders, and vitamin A deficiency.
· The medications that treat certain conditions can cause a problem. Antihistamines are a significant culprit, but so are some medications for high blood pressure and Parkinson’s.3
· As we age, our bodies suffer from more inflammation and oxidative stress. Though the body fights with the help of antioxidants, sometimes the inflammation wins. That imbalance in your body leads to tissue damage, including to the tissues around your eyes.
· Dry eyes are much more common in women. Why? Menopause. Women who have gone through menopause are more likely to develop dry eye during the time their body is changing. However, the condition can continue long after menopause is over.
Since there are so many reasons why you could develop dry eye and the vision problems that come along with it, it’s important to pay attention to your safety. An emergency alert system can help you do that. If you suffer from any sort of medical emergency, including a fall, pressing the panic button will get help fast.
What are the Complications of Dry Eyes?
Though having dry eyes might seem like a minor inconvenience, over time it can significantly reduce your ability to see. Other complications might arise, including:
· Damage to the eyes. Untreated dry eyes can become more severe, and that can lead to serious eye inflammation, abrasions, and even ulcers on the surface of your cornea. This damage can easily lead to some degree of vision loss.
· Infections in the eye. The tears that lubricate your eyes protect them from damage. Those tears can also help repair small rips or other damage in the tissues around the eyes. Without those tears, your eyes are more prone to infection. Infections can lead to a great deal of pain and discomfort, as well as vision loss.
· Problems with quality of life. Dry eyes can cause all sorts of discomfort, but they can also prevent you from doing the things you enjoy. For instance, avid readers might find that they can no longer read as easily as they used to, and they might develop headaches when they try. Those who work on a computer might notice that they are constantly adjusting the distance away from the screen to make it easier to read. Those who do fine detailing work as part of a job or hobby, such as sewing or woodworking, will find that their work becomes more difficult as their eyesight suffers.
One of the worst complications of dry eyes is the loss of vision that can often accompany the problem, especially if it is untreated for a long time. While that vision might be restored with proper treatment, in some cases, the vision loss might be permanent. A good example of this is an eye infection that leads to damage to the cornea.
Medical alert systems for seniors can serve as a vital safety net as you deal with dry eyes and any of the symptoms and complications that might arise from the condition. Vision loss might lead to falls, but it can also lead to other problems, such as being unable to drive safely. If you find that you need help, reaching for a medical alert wireless system can make life much easier and safer.
What are the Treatments for Dry Eye?
Fortunately, there are treatments for dry eye and some of them are quite simple. A new case of dry eye that doesn’t appear to have any underlying cause beyond age can often be treated with soothing eye drops that replace your natural tears. Your doctor can provide recommendations for over-the-counter or prescription products that will help.
If you are a woman who has gone through menopause, you might find some debate on hormone replacement therapy. For some women, it alleviates dry eyes and helps with other issues, too. But for others, the therapy might actually make dry eyes worse. There’s no way to know until you try it, so carefully weigh all the benefits and disadvantages with your doctor before making a decision.
For serious cases that don’t respond to eye drops or lubricating gels, there is an anti-inflammatory medication called cyclosporine that could help. Originally created as an anti-rejection drug for transplant patients, the eye drop version has been found to significantly improve dry eye conditions. However, it might have some side effects that aren’t good for seniors, such as a rise in blood pressure. Talk with your doctor and do careful research before you begin this treatment.
In the meantime, some home remedies include using humidifiers around the home to avoid dry air, staying hydrated, not smoking and not being around those who do, and using warm compresses to alleviate the discomfort and grittiness of dry eyes. Remember that these remedies won’t cure dry eye, but they can make you more comfortable while you wait to see the doctor or while you give medications time to really begin to do their work.
