IF you have blurry vision, stinging eyes and watery discomfort and feel like there is grit in your eye, you could have a serious and progressive condition called dry eye disease. The name “dry eye” may sound harmless when compared to other eye ailments but for Betty (not her real name), the gritty sensation she experienced meant that doing something as mundane as opening her eyes, was painful. Besides the itchiness and burning, she had redness in her eyes. Dry eye disease is a multifactorial condition that occurs when there is inadequate tear production or when the tears evaporate too quickly. It can be caused by age-related changes, long hours of screen time, certain medications, autoimmune diseases like Sjögren’s syndrome, environmental conditions and even eyelid issues that affect tear distribution, explained the surgical services manager at the Trinidad Eye Hospital (TEH) Prianka Persad. Dry eye is more common than you may realise. In T&T, dry eye is becoming increasingly common particularly because of our modern lifestyles. The rise in digital device usage, exposure to air conditioning and environmental allergens has made it one of the most frequent complaints in eye clinics across the country, said Persad who manages the Dry Eye Clinic at TEH. While there is no national registry, local ophthalmologists estimate that between 15-25 per cent of the population may experience some form of eye symptoms, she added. Long-term damage To raise awareness, the Trinidad Eye Hospital hosted a live session “Dry Eye Disease: It’s more common than you think” last Wednesday on Facebook which shed light on the everyday symptoms that people ignore. While mild dry eyes may start off as just occasional discomfort, in its more advanced stages, the condition can significantly affect a person’s quality of life. Patients often describe symptoms like burning, grittiness, light sensitivity and blurred and fluctuated vision. In severe cases, the ocular surface becomes chronically inflamed and damage to the cornea can occur, leading to pain, infections and difficulty performing everyday tasks like reading, driving or working on a computer, said Persad. When left untreated, chronic dry eye can not only cause long-term damage to the surface of the eye, it can also affect one emotionally and contribute to fatigue, frustration and even anxiety or depression. The good news is that dry eye disease is treatable; the earlier it is treated, the better. For mild cases, artificial tears and lifestyle changes such as reducing screen time and staying hydrated can help. But in moderate to severe cases, the patient may require more advanced treatment, said Persad. This includes anti inflammatory eye drops, punctal plugs to conserve natural tears and lid hygiene therapies to treat blepharitis or meibomian gland dysfunction and light based therapies like Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) to treat inflammation and improve meibomian gland function. This is a non-invasive treatment that targets the root causes of the disease. The TEH offers diagnostic tests using tear film analyzers and imaging to tailor treatment for each patient.