How to treat long-standing dryness around the eyes?

Question

Hi doctor,

I suffer from dryness in and around my eyes for the past eight months. I have consulted different doctors and there is no improvement. The skin around the eyes and eyelids are dry and scaly. I have a foreign body sensation in my eyes. I have tried using eye drops over it. But there is no improvement. Please suggest a solution.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I understand your concern. You have a long-standing dryness in and around the eyes. Dryness of eyes is a common problem and it occurs due to certain systemic conditions that are associated with moderate to severe dry eyes. They are Sjogren's syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis. The former is associated with dry mouth and difficulty in swallowing. The latter is associated with joint pain. If you have any of these symptoms, you need to consult a rheumatologist and he can suggest you some blood tests. You also need to assess the degree of dryness by doing Schirmer's test and TBUT (tear break up time).Depending on the results, the treatment is followed by using lubricating eye drops or gel. Cyclosporine eye drops are used if it is associated with the ocular surface disease. You need to take Omega 3 fatty acids in your diet. These are found naturally in flax seeds, fish, walnuts, or omega 3 capsules. The other option is lacrimal plugs. These are small plugs inserted into the punctum. These are tiny holes on the lid margin that drains the tears into the nose. By sealing any of the one or two, the eyes remain moist by preventing the drainage of tears. For dryness around the eyes, you can apply vitamin E cream like Evion twice a day. There are various options of lubricating drops. You can try Systane ultra eye drops (Polyethylene glycol and Propylene glycol) and the frequency is used depending on the symptoms. Refrigerate on the door side of the fridge to have a cooler effect.