In an effort to inform the public about the risk factors, symptoms and treatments for dry eye syndrome, Prevent Blindness, Ohio Affiliate has declared July to be Dry Eye Awareness Month.
According to the National Eye Institute, dry eye syndrome affects almost 16 million Americans. When not enough tear film is produced, or the tear film is not draining properly or the tear film is not the quality that is required to maintain eye health, dry eye syndrome occurs.
Dry eye syndrome has several symptoms including: a burning or gritty sensation in the eyes, redness, and light sensitivity. Left untreated, it can lead to corneal damage.
There are many risk factors that can increase the likelihood of developing dry eye:
- Wearing contacts
- Lasik surgery
- Over the age of 50
- Chronic medical conditions such as autoimmune diseases
- Allergies
- Some medications
Women are more prone to develop dry eye. Pregnancy, menopause, and birth control therapies increase the risk of women having dry eye. In fact, women are twice as likely to have dry eye when compared to men.
VisiVite offers two formulas to help those who suffer from dry eye symptoms. VisiVite Quench is for those with mild to moderate dry eye and our VisiVite Dry Eye Relief TG-1000 is for those with moderate to severe dry eye.
