Optrex Moisturising Eye Drops Dry Eyes 10ml

Optrex Moisturising Eye Drops Dry Eyes 10ml provides intensive relief for dry and irritated eyes caused by environmental factors such as air conditioning, smoke or pollution, leaving them feeling soothed and moisturised.

What is dry eye?

Dry eye is a chronic condition and it affects over 1 in 3 people. The surface of your eye has to be extremely thin and fragile to allow light through it. This delicate covering is constantly exposed to the elements, like dust or chemicals in the air. Your eyes need constant lubrication to clean them and prevent irritation. This is provided by a constant film of tears in your eye. Each time the eye blinks, the eyelid spreads tears across the surface of the eye to create this film. The film helps to reduce the evaporation of moisture from the eye, helping it stay hydrated.

What are the types of dry eye?

There are two main types of dry eye.

• Aqueous dry eye - when you don't produce enough tears
• Evaporative dry eye - when a gap in the protective tear film allows moisture to be lost. This is the most common type, accounting for 80% of dry eye cases.

What are the main causes?

• Screen usage - Almost half of computer users have symptoms of dry eye. This is largely because you blink much less often when using a computer.
• Inflammation - of the surface layer due to allergy or infection
• Central heating and air conditioning- these dry out the air so reduce moisture in the eyes
• Being in a dry, dusty or windy area.
• Not blinking enough- When you stare at your computer screens or TV for a long time your rate of blinking reduces by up to 60%. This reduces the spread of tears across your eye leading to damage to the protective lipid layer over the eye.
• Ageing- We tend to make fewer tears as we get older so as you age you are likely to be affected more. For women, hormonal changes during the menopause can also lead to more frequent dry eyes.
• Some medications can cause eyes to feel dry as a side effect or make existing dry eye condition worse (e.g. beta blockers, the pill and antihistamines)