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Do you find yourself frequently reaching for over-the-counter eye drops to help relieve your gritty, scratchy and irritated eyes? If so, your symptoms may be due to dry eyes – approximately 150 million Americans experience occasional or frequent dry eye symptoms.
Frequent dry eye symptoms can feel like an unavoidable part of life and certain factors – such as excessive screen time or environmental conditions – can make them worse. Left unchecked, dry eye symptoms can escalate and become persistent, developing into a condition known as dry eye disease or chronic dry eye, which affects more than 38 million Americans. The good news is that addressing dry eye early by talking to an eye doctor allows you to identify and manage the root causes. While dry eye doesn’t have a cure, there are several relief options that can help alleviate symptoms, including prescription medications.
What Causes Dry Eye?
Many factors can contribute to dry eye symptoms, from lifestyle changes like overuse of screens to hormonal factors and age. Symptoms can also flare up based on use of certain medications and environmental irritants like allergens, wind and heat.
Too much tear evaporation, which happens to be the number one cause of dry eye, is caused by producing “poor quality” tears that evaporate too quickly. Your eyes are made up of three layers called the “tear film”: an oily layer on top, the watery layer of tears, and an inner mucus layer. The outermost layer or the oily layer of healthy tears holds in the watery component, but for about 9 out of 10 people with dry eye, this layer is deficient or damaged, which can cause too much tear evaporation.
Additionally, underlying inflammation can be at the root of continued symptoms and can be present in any form of dry eye regardless of the cause. In fact, chronic inflammation is present in up to 65% of people with dry eye – and for those with preexisting inflammatory health issues, like autoimmune conditions, it may be a systemic issue that also impacts their eyes.
At the end of the day, knowing what is affecting your dry eye is crucial for understanding how to treat your condition.
How Do I Address My Dry Eye Symptoms?
Innovations in dry eye treatment have come a long way, and there are now a range of options, from ones that support symptom relief, like artificial tears, to others that target the different root causes of dry eye, like prescription medications. While there are several effective over-the-counter remedies for temporary relief of dry eye symptoms, they may not work for everyone, especially once symptoms become more frequent and persistent.
Dry eye should be treated differently for each person because every case of dry eye is unique. The first step to confirm you have dry eye and understand which treatment may be right for you is to see an eye doctor. While seeing an eye doctor is smart at every stage, if your go-to eye drops are no longer working and you’re experiencing symptoms again and again, it’s especially important to make an appointment sooner rather than later.
During your visit, the eye doctor will evaluate your symptoms and perform a thorough eye exam to pinpoint the underlying cause. Based on the findings, they can recommend appropriate treatments, which may include prescription options, such as those offered by the eye care experts at Bausch + Lomb.
For example, if too much tear evaporation is causing your chronic dry eye, the prescription eye drop MIEBO® (perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution), used to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease by directly targeting tear evaporation, may offer relief. MIEBO works by forming a protective layer on your eye so you can keep more of your own tears.
If underlying inflammation is present, the prescription eye drop XIIDRA® (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution) 5%, used to treat the signs and symptoms of chronic dry eye by targeting inflammation may help provide relief from symptoms that could be occurring over and over.
Once dry eye symptoms become persistent, they may really impact your day-to-day activities, so visit an eye doctor and prioritize early treatment to prevent the condition from worsening.
If you’re curious about how to start a conversation with an eye doctor and want to learn more about potential treatment options, visit KnowYourDryEye.com.
Indication
MIEBO® (perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution) is used to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.
Important Safety Information
- Remove contact lenses before using MIEBO and wait for at least 30 minutes before reinserting
- It is important to use MIEBO exactly as prescribed
- It is not known if MIEBO is safe and effective in children under the age of 18
- The most common eye side effect seen in studies was blurred vision (1% to 3% of patients reported blurred vision and eye redness)
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Click here for full Prescribing Information for MIEBO.
Indication
Xiidra (lifitegrast ophthalmic solution) 5% is a prescription eye drop used to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.
Important Safety Information
- Do not use Xiidra if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Seek medical care immediately if you get any symptoms of an allergic reaction.
- The most common side effects of Xiidra include eye irritation, discomfort or blurred vision when the drops are applied to the eyes, and an unusual taste sensation.
- To help avoid eye injury or contamination of the solution, do not touch the container tip to your eye or any surface. If you wear contact lenses, remove them before using Xiidra and wait for at least 15 minutes before placing them back in your eyes.
- It is not known if Xiidra is safe and effective in children under 17 years of age.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
For additional safety information, click here for Full Prescribing Information and Patient Information and discuss with your doctor.
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