At least 1 in 5 people suffer from dry eyes due to excessive screen scrolling and insufficient sleep. Can blinking more often relieve the problem?

During the day, we spend a long time in front of the computer, and we have to work on the go after work. Remote meetings are commonplace. After a day's work, we have to stay up late to watch TV series and short videos... Over time, do your eyes experience dryness, tears, photophobia, foreign body sensation and other discomfort symptoms? These may be manifestations of dry eyes. Electronic products have become an indispensable part of people's daily lives. Many people jokingly say that their mobile phones have been "welded" to their hands. However, the frequent use of electronic products has also brought many problems to our health, one of which is dry eyes.

What is dry eye?

Dry eye is a common chronic ocular surface disease in ophthalmology. At present, the incidence of dry eye in my country is 21%-30%, which means that at least 1 in every 5 people suffers from dry eye.

Academically speaking: Dry eye syndrome is caused by various factors that lead to abnormal tear quality, quantity and dynamics, resulting in tear film instability or imbalance of the ocular surface microenvironment. It may be accompanied by ocular surface inflammatory reactions and cause a variety of eye discomfort symptoms and visual dysfunction.

In simple terms: dry eyes mean that there is too little "lubricating oil" on the surface of the eyes or the quality of the oil is poor.

What are the symptoms of dry eyes?

Common symptoms of dry eyes include dry eyes, fatigue, foreign body sensation, itching, photophobia, stinging, burning, and soreness. In severe cases, redness and swelling of the eyelids, conjunctival congestion, and even corneal ulcers may occur. Therefore, if the above symptoms persist, especially if vision is significantly impaired, you should seek medical attention promptly.

Which groups are prone to dry eye syndrome?

Dry eyes may occur in all age groups, and women are the most susceptible group. For most people, lifestyle factors, such as long-term close-range operation of video terminals (mobile phones, computers), less outdoor activities, lack of sleep, use of air conditioners, smoking, long-term wearing of corneal contact lenses, eye makeup and long-term driving, will increase the probability of dry eyes.

How to relieve it?

First of all, treatment should be targeted at known related factors, such as actively improving the work and living environment, correcting bad eye habits, reducing the time of using electronic products, and improving sleep quality. For dry eyes caused by systemic immune diseases or other diseases, you should visit a relevant specialist to treat the primary disease. According to the type and degree of dry eyes, clinical treatment methods include drug and non-drug treatment. Drug treatment can use "artificial tears", "tear secretion promoters" and local "anti-inflammatory" eye drops, etc., and can be combined with non-drug treatments for dry eyes, that is, physical therapy such as hot compresses, meibomian gland massage, eyelid margin cleaning and intense pulsed light therapy. Please ask an ophthalmologist to give a personalized treatment plan. The course of treatment depends on the relief and improvement of dry eye symptoms. Some patients may need long-term treatment.

If you have headaches, dizziness, lack of energy, or other physical discomfort, you should seek medical attention immediately to rule out other eye and systemic diseases. If it is found to be caused by dry eyes, it is recommended to correct bad eye habits, reduce the use of electronic products, ensure adequate rest and sleep, maintain a happy mood, and have an ophthalmologist prescribe medication and treatment. Once you understand the non-blinding nature of dry eyes as a chronic disease and its inducing factors, patients can adjust their daily lives, visit the hospital regularly, and prevent and treat dry eyes in advance.