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Pharmacy Care provides information about self-care, that is how to treat minor medical conditions with products available at the pharmacy. Find out how your pharmacist can help you to manage minor conditions yourself.
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Dry eye is a common condition affecting Australians. Some common problems include dry or watery eyes and eye irritation. Conjunctivitis, blocked tear glands and styes are also common but are not explained here.
Dry eye is a problem for some people who produce fewer tears or lower quality tears. It is more common in older people and after menopause. Sometimes dry eye is caused by eyelid inflammation, computer use or because of some diseases or medicines.
Symptoms of dry eye include:
sore, gritty and irritated eyes, as if you have something in your eye, like sand
eyes that are sensitive to bright light, open air and wind
watering eyes; dry eyes can water a lot, even though they still feel dry
there may be a fine crusting on the edges of the eyelids
Other minor eye irritations can be caused by many things, including late nights (‘party eyes’), wind, dust, smoke, air conditioning, air pollution, chemicals, sunlamps, glare from snow, sand or the sea, staring at a computer or sleeping in contact lenses. Your eyes will feel sore, red, watery, itchy or irritated.
See Your Pharmacist or Medical Professional
if your eye or eyes are painful or sensitive to light
if you see colour or halos around lights or your sight is affected
if only one eye is affected
if you have strangely shaped pupils or cloudy eyes
if your eyes produce a discharge, such as pus
if you have other symptoms, such as headache, vomiting or a rash
if your eyes do not respond to treatment or improve within two days
if you have had the problem before or it is an ongoing problem
if you think the problem was caused by something stuck in your eye
if you have a cold sore, herpes or shingles
if you have other medical conditions or use other medicines
if the person with the eye problem is a baby, young child or elderly person
if you are pregnant or breastfeeding; some medicines may not be suitable
if you have allergies to any medicines
if you wear contact lenses
Treatment Tips
remove or avoid the causes of dry or irritated eyes, and keep your eyes well hydrated
flush eyes with saline (salt water solution) if there is something gritty in your eye
protect your eyes from the wind and sun by wearing sunglasses
do not wear contact lenses if you have dry or irritated eyes, or an eye infection, such as conjunctivitis
do not wear contact lenses with some eye drops; check with your pharmacist
throw eye drop bottles away one month after opening; mark the date you open them on the bottle
if you are using more than one type of eye drop, put them in at least 10 minutes apart
some eye drops can cause temporary stinging; if this continues talk to your pharmacist
Tips for applying eye drops
always wash your hands first
pull your lower eyelid down gently with your index finger to form a pocket, tilt your head back slightly and look up
hold the bottle between your thumb and index finger and squeeze gently to release the recommended number of drops into your eyelid pouch
do not touch your eye with the dropper tip
do not blink, as this draws the drops into the tear duct and out of the eye
close your eye and press gently on the corner near your nose, to stop the drops draining through your tear duct
if you have trouble with the above, drop the fluid onto the inner corner of your eye, and then tilt your head to the side to allow the drop to run over the surface of your eye
wait 10 minutes before adding other eye products
use eye drops before any eye ointment
Tips for applying eye ointment
to position the tube tip, hold the tube between your thumb and index finger and rest your hand against the base of your nose
apply a small blob of ointment into your lower eyelid pouch
do not touch your eye with the tube tip
Treatment Options
Dry eyes
dry eyes can be relieved by replacing natural tears with a substitute
eye drops, gels and eye ointments are available and contain lubricants or artificial tears; these different products are applied in different ways
gels and ointments work for longer than drops but may blur vision temporarily; they are a good option for use before bed
eye drops are useful if you have slightly dry eyes
gels are useful for moderately dry eyes
combination treatments are good for severely dry eyes; for severe dry eye, talk to your pharmacist, doctor or eye specialist
while dry eye might make your eyes look red, the treatments for dry eye are different to those for the conditions called ‘red eye’ and allergic conjunctivitis (allergic eye); using the wrong drops can make dry eye worse, so ask your pharmacist for advice
the preservatives in some eye drops can also irritate the eyes if you are sensitive to them, but preservative-free versions are available
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