Dry Eyes?

There are things you can do to help with dry eye:

1. For every hour of reading or watching TV, take a break and look away from the screen for at least 20 seconds. Blink frequently and consider using lubricant eye drops like Refresh, Systane, Soothe or Blink. Avoid any eye drops with a redness reliever or allergy component like Visine, Similasan or Naphcon A.  

2. If you must sleep with a fan on or other moving air, use a gel drop or eye ointment. These treatments will help keep your eyes moist overnight.

3. Add walnuts and fish such as salmon to your diet. Both contain omega-3 fatty acids that help make the oily tear layer more like oil instead of shortening. The more fluid the layer is, the better it spreads across the top of the tears, preventing evaporation. If you are allergic to nuts or don't love fish, try a fish oil supplement instead.

4. If symptoms persist, see an Dr. Beeve. He can help with medical and/or surgical treatments. He and his staff will perform a full medical history and comprehensive eye exam to determine all the contributing factors to dry eye syndrome and will prescribe treatment.

5. Be patient with your body. Dry eye cannot be cured like pink eye with a course of antibiotic drops. It is a chronic condition requiring lifestyle changes and often medical treatment to maintain the best possible eye condition.

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