Summer Travel and Dry Eye Syndrome

For many dry eye sufferers, summer spells relief. As we turn off our indoor heating systems and the humidity level creeps up, often dry eye symptoms begin to wane. However, there are a few situations to be aware of that can dry your eyes and put a cramp in your summer plans.

Airplanes
Summer travelers should beware of the dry conditions in airplane cabins. Cabin air is continuously refreshed with outside air, which is very cold and has low water content. The cabin humidity ranges from 5-35%, which is about how dry the air is during the winter in a heated home! Preparing for this environmental change by drinking lots of water and using artificial tears preemptively will allow you to land with your eyes feeling fresh and ready to enjoy your summer vacation.

Click here for more information on the airplane cabin environment.

Allergies
One of the best things about summer is the chance to get out and enjoy nature. But for some allergy sufferers, the thought of grasses and pollen alone is enough to make their eyes itch. Dry eye symptoms, such as ocular irritation, foreign body sensation and light sensitivity, are aggravated by allergies. Itching eyes are an indication that allergies are playing a part in the ocular irritation. In this situation, it is important to treat both the dry eye and the allergies to get relief. Artificial tears are available over the counter, but most allergy eye drops are dispensed by prescription only.

Ceiling Fans
On those hot muggy nights when the ceiling fan is the only thing keeping you from sweating in bed, beware of the drying effect of all of that wind. Many people don’t close their eyes all of the way during sleep. This can be enough to dry the eyes alone, but add in the effect of the ceiling fan and you may wake up in the morning with dry eyes! If you can’t stand the thought of turning the ceiling fan off in the night, consider wearing sleep goggles like “Thera Eyes” or using a gel form of ocular surface lubricant, like Genteal gel prior to going to bed.

If you plan for them, and treat the dry eye ahead of time, you can save yourself weeks of catch-up work with the artificial tears!

More information on dry eye syndrome and treatments.

Active Life Lenses not only fix cataracts, but can improve your vision

Jeanne J. after her Active Life Lens procedure. Read her
 thank you note to Dr. Wright here.

Quality of life is a big term in ophthalmology.  Luckily we rarely have to deal with life and death situations in our field, instead we are given the chance to improve a patient’s everyday life, which is just as exciting to me. It is what makes my job the best one in the world.

Nobody likes the news that they need surgery.  The same holds true for patients who come to me with decreased vision from cataracts.  Many patients hear that “s” word and become apprehensive.

What is great about ophthalmology is that I have the opportunity to not only fix a cataract, but to make the vision better than before the cataract.  Think about that for a second. Most of the time you go to the doctor with a problem. You get it fixed, which brings you back to the baseline you were at before the illness or problem.  With cataract surgery, I am able to remove the cataract, but take it a step further and actually improve the vision to better than before surgery.

At Mann Eye Institute, we perform the surgeries and use Active Life Lenses to improve your life.  There are lenses that can get rid of the astigmatism and prescription that has plagued some their whole lives.  These lenses can let you wake up in the morning and see in the distance without glasses in greater than 95% of people who receive them.  There is also a lens which can let you see distance and near without glasses the majority of the time.  Think about shaving, putting on make-up, and of course reading without using glasses.  Again, around 95% of people with Active Life Lens procedures can go the majority of their day without glasses. That’s pretty amazing if you ask me.

Come in and see if one of out Active Life Lens procedures may be able to help you see better and be less dependent on glasses.  It is an exciting opportunity for our patients, and we love to be a part of it.

Don’t Let Itchy Eyes Hinder your Spring Activities

Spring is the season that many people start experiencing “Itchy Eyes,” usually caused by pollens and grasses that are most prevalent at this time of year. This problem can be exacerbated by contact lens use as the contacts often collect allergens and cause constant exposure to these irritating plant particles.

There are multiple ways to deal with the “Itchy Eye” problem, including artificial tears and switching from contact lenses to prescription glasses. Additionally, many of our patients report significant relief following their Blade-Free LASIK procedures at Mann Eye Institute. When a patient is able to eliminate the need for contacts, he or she is also eliminating the constant exposure to allergens caused by those contacts.

This a great time of year to be outside, and we want to help you enjoy your outdoor activities and the many beautiful aspects of nature with clear vision and without discomfort or itching. I invite you to visit us at Mann Eye Institute to learn more about Blade-Free LASIK and our other vision correction solutions.

Brian Wright, MD

Mann Eye Institute

(713) 580-2500

www.MannEye.com