| Dr. Kosta A. Koutoulas is an Optometrist and has answered some common questions that Bizymoms visitors have about Dry Eye.
Q. What is Dry Eye?
A. Dry eye is a condition which can be initiated in a variety of ways, whereby the tear-film or the layer of liquid covering the front part of your eye is compromised and causes symptoms such as a sandy/gritty feeling in the eye, redness, a dull eye aches,burning of eyes, even watery eyes. The causes can be many depending if you’re on certain medication, use the computer for prolonged time, or just have a deficiency in your natural production of the tear layer components.
Q. What are the warning signs and how is it treated?
A. The usual warning signs are generalized eye irritation; especially when on computer or watching tv, red eyes, rubbing of eyes, sandy gritty feeling in eyes as well as excessive tearing. In addition, a lot of my patients experience a reduction in their "sharpness" of vision.
Q. Can reading and TV or computer viewing cause dry eye?
A. Prolonged reading, tv use, and computer use can worsen the symptoms and make you aware of your uncomfortable eyes as well as make you less productive during your work day. What I tell my patients is that normally your eyes blink every 4 seconds, but when you’re intently focused on near targets you tend to blink about three times less, which causes an evaporation of the tear film instead of it being replenished through a blink.
Q. Is there treatment for corneal scarring caused by dry eye?
A. Rarely will dry eyes cause corneal scarring. It would have to be a severe case with other dynamics involved. Depending on the circumstances, once the scar is established within the cornea there is usually very little that is done to treat the scarred area.
Q. How can we contact Dr. Koutoulas if we have further questions?
A. I can be contacted by email at info@clearvision1.com or you can visit our website clearvision1.com and call our office at (650)757-8286 |
