Dry eyes can result from:

• an imbalance in the tear mixture, so that it evaporates too fast
• insufficient tear production for good eye health

Other causes include eyelid problems, some drugs, and environmental factors.

SYMPTOMS

A patient with dry eye syndrome may experience a range of symptoms, including:

• a stinging or burning sensation, and a feeling of dryness, and soreness in the eyes
• a feeling like sand in the eye
• stringy mucus in or around the eyes
• eye sensitivity to smoke or wind
• redness of the eyes
• difficulty keeping the eyes open
• eye fatigue after reading, even for a short time
• blurred vision, especially towards the end of the day
• sensitivity to light
• discomfort when wearing contact lenses
• tearing
• double vision
• eyelids sticking together when waking up
• Difficulty wearing contact lenses
• Difficulty with nighttime driving
• Watery eyes, which is the body's response to the irritation of dry eyes
• eye fatigue

Some people find the pain very strong, and this can lead to frustration, anxiety, and difficulty functioning in daily life.

CAUSES

Tears have three layers. There’s the oily outer layer, the watery middle layer, and the inner mucus layer.

If the glands that produce the various elements of your tears are inflamed or don’t produce enough water, oil, or mucus, it can lead to dry eye syndrome.

When oil is missing from your tears, they quickly evaporate and your eyes can’t maintain a steady supply of moisture.

The causes of dry eye syndrome include:

• hormone replacement therapy
• exposure to the wind or dry air, such as constant exposure to a heater during the winter
• allergies
• LASIK eye surgery
• some medications, including antihistamines, nasal decongestants, birth control pills, and antidepressants
• aging
• long-term contact lens wear
• staring at a computer for long hours
• not blinking enough

RISK FACTORS

Factors that make it more likely that you'll experience dry eyes include:

• Being older than 50. Tear production tends to diminish as you get older. Dry eyes are more common in people over 50.
• Being a woman. A lack of tears is more common in women, especially if they experience hormonal changes due to pregnancy, using birth control pills or menopause.
• Eating a diet that is low in vitamin A,
• Wearing contact lenses or having a history of refractive surgery.

COMPLICATIONS

People who have dry eyes may experience these complications:

• Eye infections. Your tears protect the surface of your eyes from infection. Without adequate tears, you may have an increased risk of eye infection.
• Damage to the surface of your eyes. If left untreated, severe dry eyes may lead to eye inflammation, abrasion of the corneal surface, corneal ulcers and vision loss.
• Decreased quality of life. Dry eyes can make it difficult to perform everyday activities, such as reading.

PREVENTION

If you experience dry eyes, pay attention to the situations that are most likely to cause your symptoms. Then find ways to avoid those situations in order to prevent your dry eyes symptoms. For instance:

• Avoid air blowing in your eyes. Don't direct hair dryers, car heaters, air conditioners or fans toward your eyes.
• Add moisture to the air. In winter, a humidifier can add moisture to dry indoor air.
• Consider wearing wraparound sunglasses or other protective eyewear. Safety shields can be added to the tops and sides of eyeglasses to block wind and dry air. Ask about shields where you buy your eyeglasses.
• Take eye breaks during long tasks. If you're reading or doing another task that requires visual concentration, take periodic eye breaks. Close your eyes for a few minutes. Or blink repeatedly for a few seconds to help spread your tears evenly over your eyes.
• Be aware of your environment. The air at high altitudes, in desert areas and in airplanes can be extremely dry. When spending time in such an environment, it may be helpful to frequently close your eyes for a few minutes at a time to minimize evaporation of your tears.
• Position your computer screen below eye level. If your computer screen is above eye level, you'll open your eyes wider to view the screen. Position your computer screen below eye level so that you won't open your eyes as wide. This may help slow the evaporation of your tears between eye blinks.
• Stop smoking and avoid smoke. If you smoke, ask your doctor for help devising a quit-smoking strategy that's most likely to work for you. If you don't smoke, stay away from people who do. Smoke can worsen dry eyes symptoms.
• Use artificial tears regularly. If you have chronic dry eyes, use eye drops even when your eyes feel fine to keep them well lubricated.

DIAGNOSIS

Tests and procedures that may be used to determine the cause of your dry eyes include:

• A comprehensive eye exam. An eye exam that includes a complete history of your overall health and your eye health can help your doctor diagnose the cause of your dry eyes.
• A test to measure the volume of your tears. Your doctor may measure your tear production using the Schirmer test. In this test, blotting strips of paper are placed under your lower eyelids. After five minutes your doctor measures the amount of strip soaked by your tears.
  
  Another option for measuring tear volume is the phenol red thread test. In this test, a thread filled with pH-sensitive dye (tears change the dye color) is placed over the lower eyelid, wetted with tears for 15 seconds and then measured for tear volume.
• A test to determine the quality of your tears. Other tests use special dyes in eyedrops to determine the surface condition of your eyes. Your doctor looks for staining patterns on the corneas and measures how long it takes before your tears evaporate.
• A tear osmolarity test. This type of test measures the composition of particles and water in your tears. With dry eye disease, there will be less water in your eyes.
• Tear samples to look for markers of dry eye disease, including elevated matrix metalloproteinase-9 or decreased lactoferrin.

TREATMENT

For most people with occasional or mild dry eye symptoms, it's enough to regularly use over-the-counter eye drops (artificial tears). If your symptoms are persistent and more serious, you have other options. What you do depends on what's causing your dry eyes.

Some treatments focus on reversing or managing a condition or factor that's causing your dry eyes. Other treatments can improve your tear quality or stop your tears from quickly draining away from your eyes.

1.Treating the underlying cause of dry eyes

In some cases, treating an underlying health issue can help clear up the signs and symptoms of dry eyes. For instance, if a medication is causing your dry eyes, your doctor may recommend a different medication that doesn't cause that side effect.

If you have an eyelid condition, such as your lids turned outwards (ectropion), your doctor may refer you to an eye surgeon who specializes in plastic surgery of the eyelids (oculoplastic surgeon).

2.Medications

Prescription medications used to treat dry eyes include:

• Drugs to reduce eyelid inflammation.
• Eyedrops to control cornea inflammation.
• Eye inserts that work like artificial tears.
• Tear-stimulating drugs.
• Eyedrops made from your own blood.These are called autologous blood serum drops. They may be an option if you have severe dry eye symptoms that don't respond to any other treatment. To make these eye drops, a sample of your blood is processed to remove the red blood cells and then mixed with a salt solution.

3.Other procedures

Other procedures that may be used to treat dry eyes include:

• Closing your tear ducts to reduce tear loss. Your doctor may suggest this treatment to keep your tears from leaving your eye too quickly. This can be done by partially or completely closing your tear ducts, which normally serve to drain tears away.
• Using special contact lenses. Some people with severe dry eyes may opt for special contact lenses that protect the surface of the eyes and trap moisture. These are called scleral lenses or bandage lenses.
• Unblocking oil glands. Warm compresses or eye masks used daily can help clear up blocked oil glands. A thermal pulsation device is another way to unclog the oil glands, but it is unclear whether this method provides any advantage over warm compresses.
• Using light therapy and eyelid massage. A technique called intense-pulsed light therapy followed by massage of the eyelids has proved to help people with severe dry eyes.

EFFECTIVENESS OF ACUPUNCTURE

The beauty of acupuncture is that it does not build a dependency and in fact builds independence by helping to rebuild and restore function to various body systems.

A study published in the Chinese Journal of Practical Ophthalmology “found that patients receiving acupuncture had a 76.92% improvement in rate of dry eye symptoms. Patients receiving lubricant eye drops had only 53.85% improvement. Tear film stability improved significantly with acupuncture. Patients receiving acupuncture had a tear film break-up time of 4.03 seconds compared with 2.11 seconds for the eye drop group.” This means that acupuncture resulted in increased tear production and slower tear evaporation, so tears last longer.

Another study, published in Ophthalmology Times, found that acupuncture “significantly improved patients’ subjective assessment of dry eye symptoms, was associated with significant reduction in use of artificial tears at six months, and its benefits lasted for 9-12 months.”

Having an autoimmune disease can be stressful and overwhelming at times, often leading to poor sleep quality. All of these work against creating and maintaining healthy levels of serotonin, which is fundamental to healthy tear production.

Receiving regular acupuncture helps maintain healthy serotonin levels, as well as to decrease inflammation, increase circulation, and stimulate the nervous system to focus on a specific region, such as the eyes.

MECHANISM OF ACUPUNCTURE

Patients receiving acupuncture treatments had significantly greater positive patient outcomes. Acupuncture increased lacrimal gland secretion, improved tear film stability, and slowed tear film breakdown.

Acupoints selections for the study were based on common usage within the acupuncturist profession.The following primary acupuncture points were needled bilaterally:

• Jingming (BL1)
• Zanzhu (BL2)
• Taiyang (MHN9)
• Sibai (ST2)
• Hegu (LI4)
• Sanyinjiao (SP6)
• Fengchi (GB20)
• Taixi (KD3)

The Jingming acupoint is located on the inner canthus region and is part of the Taiyang bladder meridian. It removes excess wind and heat, and stimulates qi and blood circulation to the eyes. The Zanzhu acupoint is located on the supraorbital foramen. It removes excess wind. The Sibai acupoint is located on the infraorbital foramen region and it improves general ocular qi and blood circulation. The Taiyang acupoint is located between the brow tip and outer canthus. Both Taiyang and Fengchi promote ocular health. In particular, Fengchi removes excess wind from the liver. The Sanyinjiao acupoint nourishes the blood and dredges meridians, which in turn nourishes the eyes.

Dry eye syndrome causes patient discomfort and may lead to loss of vision. As a result, effective protocols of care are very important. This integrative medicine approach demonstrates a significant improvement in outcomes. The researchers definitively conclude that acupuncture enhances the clinical efficacy of dry eye lubricants for patients with dry eye syndrome.

BEST CURE FOR DRY EYES

Looking for the best relief for dry eyes in Chennai, here’s why you should reach out to the expert Acupuncturist. A. Shaji Bharath from the best rated clinic Dr.Bharath’s Acu Heal. He is currently treating patients for a wide range of conditions. As a best acupuncture practitioner with 15 years of experience, and having worked with several ophthalmologists, Acupuncturist. A. Shaji Bharath can create the treatment plan for the best cure for dry eyes to manage the condition that's tailored to your needs, which can break a cycle of long-lasting dryness in the eyes. As the top acupuncture doctor in Chennai he has witnessed acupuncture doing wonders for people suffering from dry eyes. The effectiveness rate increases several times just with one course of Acupuncture. So, take some time to find the right pain management and best remedy for acupuncture approach that suits you. Most of the people swear by acupuncture, citing it as a best cure and a ‘miracle’ in improving their quality of life. To contact the top acupuncture doctor in Chennai, Dial: +91 9884746916 or Visit: drbharathsacuheal.com for more details.

BEST ACUPUNCTURE DOCTOR NEAR ME

To choose the Best doctor for Acupuncture, it's important that the Acupuncturist should have a decade of experience and treated at least 1000 to 2000 patients.

You can also search for the Best Acupuncture Doctor near me or ask your primary care physician to refer an experienced Acupuncturist nearby. Once you find the Best Acupuncture Doctor in Chennai, you may go through their google reviews first and then fix an appointment with the doctor only when you are satisfied with the reviews.

The Best Acupuncture Doctor should address your concerns and help you feel more comfortable before your first session. Acupuncture usually takes numerous sessions or several weeks to get a complete cure in any ailment but within 3 or 4 sessions the patients will experience positive differences.

BEST ACUPUNCTURE CLINIC NEAR ME

There are numerous clinics popping up and it is sometimes skeptical to choose the best or even the safe one. To address such concerns, you can look into the following points to choose the best acupuncture clinic for treating dry eyes. Acupuncture is also offered in hospital, pain clinics and by healthcare organizations but it is ideal to visit the best Acupuncture Clinic. If you are not sure, it would be a good idea to contact your local doctor to see if they would be prepared to refer to the best rated acupuncture clinics.Acupuncture is offered in top rated acupuncture clinics near me because conventional treatment has failed or produces unacceptable side effects. Most of the best acupuncture clinics will spell out very clearly what type of acupuncture they practice and how professional they are - at present anyone can set themselves up as an acupuncturist but reputable practitioners will belong to an organization. So while you are filtering the best clinics for acupuncture that treats dry eyes, you can look out for these factors.Treatment without drug for dry eyes is possible through acupuncture and it gives the best result.

We have been rewarded a 5-star rating from Google & Practo. You can also check the reviews there.

THE BOTTOM LINE

If your eyes feel dry and you’re suddenly unable to see properly, Dial +91 9884746916 or Visit: drbharathsacuheal.com to get the best remedy for dry eyes.Dry eye is best treated early. If it goes untreated for a long time, it becomes more difficult to manage.

SCIENTIFIC REFERENCES

• Huang J, Zhao J, Xu H, Lu H & Liu Y. (2012). Clinical observation on treating dry eye by acupuncture. Chinese Journal of Practical Ophthalmology (CJPO). 30(5).
• Lemp M, Baudouin C, Baum J, et al. (2007). The definition and classification of dry eye disease: report of the Definition and Classification Subcommittee of the International [J]. Dry Eye Workshop. 5(2): 75-92.

Related Articles

TREATMENT FOR EYE PROBLEMS

Evaluating the feasibility effect of acupuncture for eye problems. Talk to our acupuncturist to know more.

TREATMENT FOR BLURRY EYES AND BLURRY VISION

Looking for the best treatment for Blurry Eyes and Blurry Vision. Check out website to know more about the treatment of Blurry Eyes and Blurry Vision with acupuncture.

FAQ:

What are the services provided for dry eyes by Dr. Bharath’s Acu Heal?

The Acupuncturist can understand the condition of the disease only after a thorough investigation by pulse and tongue diagnosis. After few sessions, the dryness will reduce considerably. The treatment will be focused on reducing the heat in the body and gives sound sleep. These will help the patient to get recover from dry eyes or other burning sensations.

What are the benefits of acupuncture for dry eyes?

This is a drugless therapy and there are no side effects. After completing the course of treatment any form of medication can be stopped.

How many sessions do you need for dry eyes?

It takes about 10 sessions in a month time.