Are your eyes over 40? Are you a woman?
… then you’ve probably noticed things starting to change.
Not least of which are your eyes. Most notably, presbyopia — the normal, age-related loss of near focusing ability — usually develops at this time.
Women at this time are much more likely than men to develop dry eyes because of hormonal changes associated with menopause. What can you do if you are older and develop dry eyes?
Dry eye syndrome is a chronic and typically progressive condition that may not be completely curable (depending on the cause). But the accompanying dryness, scratchiness and burning can be managed. Because dry eyes can be caused by many different things, a variety of treatment approaches are used.
Eye drops and other lubricants. Your eye care practitioner may prescribe artificial tears, which are lubricating eye drops that may alleviate the dry, scratchy feeling. Some artificial tears address specific tear deficiencies, such as lack of sufficient lipids.
Your environment. If the problem is environmental, wear sunglasses when outdoors to reduce exposure to sun, wind and dust. You may want to try the kind that has a foam or other seal at the sides and/or a close-fitting, wrap-style frame to keep wind and dust from getting behind the lenses and in your eyes.
There is a lot of information available and help is at hand. Read the All About Vision Dry Eyes news article on their website.
