How to tell if you have dry eyes? Follow these three steps and you’ll know!

Dry eyes and fatigue

It is an eye problem that many people often encounter.

As electronic products gradually penetrate into every aspect of our lives, the pressure on our eyes is increasing.

The words "dry eyes" or "dry eye syndrome" appear more and more frequently, and some people are deeply trapped in self-doubt: "I seem to have it? I don't seem to have it?" They are entangled in this dilemma and may miss the best time for early diagnosis and treatment.

So how do you tell if you have dry eyes? Today, we invite Dr. Chen Xiangxi, associate chief physician, secretary of the Cornea and Ocular Surface Group of Aier Eye Hospital Group, and deputy director of the Ocular Surface and Corneal Disease Department of Aier Eye Hospital Affiliated to Wuhan University (Aier Eye Hospital Group Hubei General Hospital), to give us an introduction.

First of all, self-examination and regular physical examinations are the first step in diagnosing whether you have dry eyes.

Sometimes, some seemingly reflexive behaviors may be signals from the body, such as blinking, rubbing eyes, and crying in the wind. If accompanied by symptoms such as eye pain, dryness, soreness, fatigue, foreign body sensation, vision fluctuations, and fear of wind, then it is likely dry eyes.

Second, dry eyes need professional examination to be diagnosed

Because there are many causes and types of dry eyes, different causes and types correspond to different treatments. Only after the cause and type are determined can symptomatic treatment be given.

In addition, the patient's presenting symptoms and eye signs may be similar to those of other diseases, or may be affected by multiple diseases at the same time. This also requires a doctor's professional examination to determine.

Clinically, the doctor usually asks the patient

Only by conducting appropriate dry eye examinations on the patient can the diagnosis and treatment plan be determined.

The instrument can be used to analyze the patient's condition more comprehensively. By performing non-invasive real-time examinations of the tear film breakup time, meibomian glands, tear film lipid layer, etc., combined with slit lamp examination, the type of dry eye and whether meibomian gland dysfunction exists can be determined. Quantitative data analysis of the degree of dry eye can also be provided.

In addition, by examining the cornea, conjunctival cells, nerve morphology and distribution, and meibomian gland function, the ocular surface changes of dry eye patients can be evaluated at the cellular level to provide guidance for treatment.

Director Chen Xiangxi reminds: The causes of dry eyes are complex. If you have related symptoms, do not take medication at will. You must go to a regular ophthalmology hospital for examination and diagnosis and receive standardized treatment according to the doctor's instructions.