Facts and Risk Factors Regarding Dry Eyes
Dry eyes can be a disease which can greatly affect the lifestyle of the individual and this is because there instances when the condition can evolve into a complication. Due to the possibility of a complication developing dry eyes should be treated with the utmost seriousness and treatment should be carried out promptly. This is the only way of fighting against dry eyes complications. As soon as one notices the symptoms they should visit their doctors so that they can determine what they can do to solve their dry eyes problem. The reason the disease gets to the complication stage is that many people see the disease as a minor inconvenience and not for what iota may develop into in the future.
The most serious complication known regarding dry eyes is the loss of vision. This is a complication which could seriously destabilize the victim and no one could even contemplate being blind even for a day. However vision loss as a worst-case scenario is not the sole complication that could result from one having dry eyes. The person could develop scarring of the cornea in severe cases of dry eye disease.
Other complications which could result from the disease include thinning of the cornea and cornea perforation can occur. As can be deduced by the above ramifications of ignoring the disease, it is apparent that the disease can be very dangerous. The disease therefore has to be treated immediately before it gets out of control.
There are certain risk factors which play some role in the occurrence of the disease in an individual or rather the disease will occur in people in this category more than it will to people in other categories. The disease is more common for older people, people with Asian roots and individuals of the female sex.
Individuals who have hit menopause have a higher chance of getting the disease than those who haven’t. The disease will also occur in individuals who are exposed to certain environmental and occupational factors that promote its occurrence. These factors include living or working in areas with low humidity, staying in areas with increased room temperatures, living in polluted areas or areas with bad air, smoking and also staying in areas with high wind exposure.
Another condition which causes the disease is having decreased rates of blinking due to use of computers, reading or related activities. Existing in areas with the above mentioned conditions can cause dry eye disease and since it is a lifestyle, this may push the disease to a serious or severe complication status.
Despite this, there are other risk factors such as the presence of other disease which bring about the disease in the individual. These diseases include deficiency diseases especially those of vitamin A. other disease that could cause dry eyes is the HIV infection, diabetes mellitus, Sjögren’s syndrome, sarcoidosis, hepatitis C, blepharitis and other eye probelms and hormone deficiency. Refractive surgery is known to cause dry eyes. Wearing of contact lenses will also increase the chances of contracting dry eyes.