Women more prone to dry eye syndrome
'April is Women's Eye Health Awareness Month, and we want women to know there are several options for managing dry eye syndrome.' - Dr. Marty Schneider
By Marty Schneider, OD Special to the Acorn
Everyone experiences the symptoms from time to time: burning, irritable eyes and the sensation that something is actually scratching the eye.

Dry eye syndrome affects approximately 20 percent of the population, according to Dr. Marty Schneider, therapeutic optometrist.

"Tears are essential for good eye health," Schneider said. "They lubricate the eye, protect it from infections and wash away allergens. Dry eye syndrome is the decline of the quality and/or quantity of the tears produced. It is caused when the tear glands in the upper and lower eyelids do not produce enough tears, or they don't produce the right kind of tears. This causes the eyes to feel irritated, scratchy, burning, red and uncomfortable. Ironically, some people with dry eye syndrome may actually experience tears running down their cheeks."

Everyone experiences reduced tear production as they age, but women are more prone to dry eye syndrome than men by a 3-to-1 margin.

Studies have shown that hormone therapy may increase the incidence of the syndrome, as can birth control pills, blood pressure medicines, antihistamines and certain antidepressants.

"April is Women's Eye Health Awareness Month, and we want women to know there are several options for managing dry eye syndrome," Schneider said.

Those options include lubricating drops that can minimize the dry, scratchy sensation and prescription eye drops that can actually increase tear production.

"Through a procedure called lacrimal occlusion, we can also temporarily or permanently close the tear ducts to prevent tears from draining away too quickly," Schneider said.

Marty Schneider, OD, owns and practices at Camarillo Vision Center at 2460 E. Las Posas Road, Ste. B, in Camarillo. Call him at (805) 987-2400 or e-mail mschneider @camarillovision.com.