My eyes are often dry and itchy, what's going on?

Dry, itchy eyes are often a symptom of dry eye, which, if left untreated, can develop into the more troublesome chronic conjunctivitis, but generally does not lead to blindness.

"Ah, my eyes are so dry..."

How many people have made such exclamations in front of their mobile phones or computers, and then... continued to look at the screen.

Do you feel your eyes are sore and dry after looking at your phone all day? In addition to playing with your phone, staring at electronic screens such as computers and tablets for a long time can also easily lead to visual fatigue or dry eyes.

How to prevent dry eyes in life?

What is dry eye

According to Han Honglin, director of the dry eye diagnosis and treatment clinic at the Aier Eye Hospital affiliated to Henan University (Henan General Hospital of Aier Eye Hospital Group) : Dry eyes, in layman's terms, mean that the amount of tears is not enough to moisturize the eyes, or the nutrients in the tears are reduced, or the surface of the eyes is not smooth enough. Insufficient tears will inevitably not be able to moisturize the eyes well, so the eyes will feel dry, foreign body sensation, stinging, etc.; insufficient nutrients in the tears cannot moisturize the eyes well, so at this time, even if there are more tears, the eyes will still feel foreign body sensation, stinging, etc.; since the surface of the eyes is not smooth enough, the foreign body sensation and stinging are easy to understand.

Tears protect the eyes, and a tear film needs to form on the surface of the eye. The tear film is also a necessary condition for the eyes to see clearly. When there is insufficient tear, insufficient nutrition in the tears, or the surface of the eye is not smooth, the tear film is not so stable, and blurred vision is easy to occur. After blinking, the tear film temporarily recovers and you can see clearly, but because the tear film is unstable, it will soon break, so it will be blurred again. Some people can temporarily relieve after using eye drops, but they will feel uncomfortable again soon.

Because the eyes of dry eye patients cannot be well protected by tears, they often suffer slight damage, which manifests as photophobia, red eyes, etc. The eyes are very sensitive and will feel uncomfortable and tearful when stimulated by wind. This is why we usually say tears in the wind.

Why does staring at the screen for a long time affect the tear film?

The main work of moisturizing the surface of the eyes is done by blinking. Under normal circumstances, people blink 10 to 20 times per minute. However, when we concentrate on using computers and mobile phones, such as working selflessly or watching CP sincerely, we often blink less without realizing it.

When you blink, the tear film covering the surface of the eyeball can prevent tears from directly contacting the air and reduce evaporation. If the number of blinks is reduced and the eyeball is exposed to the air for too long, dry eyes will occur. In the long run, it is easy to affect the quality of the tear film, and then dry eye symptoms will occur.

In addition, using a computer or mobile phone is a close-up use of the eyes. Once you start using your mobile phone, you can't stop for several hours, which will put a huge burden on your eyes, increase eye fatigue, and cause vision loss.

How to effectively prevent

1) Develop good eye habits , such as maintaining the correct eye posture and necessary eye distance, gazing into the distance for a while every 20 minutes, closing your eyes for a short break or relaxing your eyes every 40 minutes.

2) Do not abuse eye drops . Although some eye drops feel cool and refreshing, and can brighten your eyes after use, if you do not know the ingredients of eye drops, such as whether they contain preservatives, hormone drugs, etc., and use them at will, it will not only fail to relieve symptoms, but may delay or even accelerate the progression of the disease.

If you have dry eyes, it is best to go to the hospital to find out the cause first, understand the cause of the dry eyes, such as lack of water, lack of oil, lack of mucin or other problems, and then prescribe the right medicine.

3) Seek medical attention in time if symptoms recur . Many people think that dry eyes are not a big problem and can be cured by just enduring them, but this is not the case. People with long-term dry eyes have unstable tear film quality. If left untreated for a long time, dry eye symptoms can be aggravated and may also cause eye infection and decreased vision. If it gets worse, it can cause corneal lesions and lead to blindness.