Definition

Dry eyes are caused by a lack of tears. Tears are necessary for the normal lubrication of your eyes and to wash away particles and foreign bodies.

Alternative Names

Tearing - decreased; Eyes - dry

Considerations

If you have dry eyes, you will feel a burning, scratching, or stinging sensation. You may also have strained or tired eyes after reading, even for short periods of time. If you wear contacts, they will likely feel uncomfortable. Having dry eyes for a while can lead to tiny abrasions on the surface of your eyes.

Common Causes

Common causes of dry eyes include:

• Aging
• Dry environment or workplace (wind, air conditioning)
• Sun exposure
• Smoking or second-hand smoke exposure
• Cold or allergy medicines
• An eye injury or other problem with your eyes or eyelids (like a drooping eyelid or bulging eyes)
• Sjogren's syndrome -- includes dry eyes, mouth, and mucus membranes, and often rheumatoid arthritis or other joint disorder
• Previous eye surgery

Home Care

The following steps may help:

• Try artificial tears, available as either drops or ointment. Ointments last longer, but are thicker and can cause blurry vision.
• Don't smoke. Avoid second-hand smoke, direct wind, and air conditioning.
• Use a humidifier, especially in the winter.
• Purposefully blink more often. Rest your eyes.

Call your health care provider if

Call your health care provider if:

• You have red or painful eyes.
• You have flaking, discharge, or a lesion on your eye or eyelid.
• You have had trauma to your eye, or you have a bulging eye or a drooping eyelid.
• You have joint pain, swelling, or stiffness.
• You also have a dry mouth.
• Your dry eyes do not respond to self-care measures within a few days

What to expect at your health care provider's office

Your health care provider will take a medical history and perform a physical examination, including a careful eye examination.

To help better understand your dry eyes, your health care provider may ask the following:

• How long have you had dry eyes? Does it involve one or both eyes?
• Do you have it all of the time or does it only occur at certain times, with certain activities, or in certain places?
• Does the dryness seem related to wind, dust, chemicals, sun, or light exposure?
• Does it affect your vision?
• Does it cause pain?
• Do your eyelids close easily?
• Have you noticed any drainage from your eyes?
• Does anything make your dry eyes worse?
• Does anything make your dry eyes better?
• Have you tried artificial tears? Do they help?
• Are you taking any medications? Which ones?
• Have you had surgery or an injury to your eyes or nose?
• Do you have allergies?
• Have you been using any new cosmetics?
• Do you have any other symptoms like dry mouth or joint discomfort?

Your health care provider may perform tearing tests that can help diagnose dry eyes. Artificial tears may be prescribed.

References

yahoo.net

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An associate clinical professor of medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Lawrence Cohen is a gastroenterologist who specializes in endoscopy and cancer screening.

Who’s at risk

Gastrointestinal endoscopies are some of the most frequently performed medical procedures done today, with over 10 million colonoscopies performed every year in the U.S.

"Endoscopy is a general term for any examination performed using a tube that has a light on the end of it," says Cohen. "Gastrointestinal endoscopies examine the gastrointestinal, or GI tract, a long conduit that carries food from the mouth to the anus."

The most common GI endoscopy is a colonoscopy, which is often used to screen for colon cancer. GI endoscopies are divided into two major categories: upper and lower.

"The upper endoscopy examines three organs: the esophagus, the stomach and the first portion of the small bowel, called the duodenum," says Cohen. "The lower endoscopy, or colonoscopy, is an exam of the colon, also known as the large bowel."

Upper endoscopies are most often done for patients suffering from chronic acid reflux, unexplained abdominal pain or a swallowing disorder. Lower endoscopies are sometimes done for patients who have symptoms of colon cancer, but are most often done as part of a routine screening for all Americans over the age of 50.

Doctors have set guidelines calling for universal colon cancer screening, because 1 in 18 Americans will have the disease during their life. “We use colonoscopies for cancer prevention, because everyone is at risk of colon cancer,” says Cohen. "It’s a disease that affects men and women, regardless of family history, and it can be deadly."

In many cases, colon cancer can be prevented entirely if caught while still in a precancerous state.

Signs and symptoms

Although the goal of a colonoscopy is to catch polyps before they can develop into full-blown cancer, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for the symptoms colon cancer can cause once it progresses.

"The warning signs most likely to trigger a doctor to call for a GI endoscopy are painless rectal bleeding, a persistent change in bowel pattern [persistence of symptoms is important] and unexplained abdominal pain or swelling," says Cohen.

Traditional treatment

It’s important for patients to know what to expect from gastrointestinal endoscopy. "First of all, the patient will be asked to come in fasting to prevent stomach contents from fluxing upward, and possibly getting into the lungs," says Cohen. "The bare minimum is ­nothing by mouth for two hours beforehand," he says.

nydailynews.com

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