Chronic dry eye affects millions of people all over the US and the world. The condition arises when the tears do not provide enough moisture to the eyes. There are two primary affectations of the disease: aqueous tear deficiency (also called keratoconjunctivitis sicca), in which the eyes don’t produce enough tears; and excessive evaporative loss, in which tears evaporate faster than normal. When tears can’t effectively protect the surface of the eye, dry spots are created that cause pain and irritation. Both types of chronic dry eye produce symptoms that are important to recognize and treat.

There are quite a few common, recognizable symptoms of the disease. Because many people experience mild forms of dry eye, they often dismiss its symptoms as due to allergies or other factors. Sometimes this is the case, but more often than not they are actually suffering from some form of dry eye syndrome. If left untreated, mild dry eye can become chronic.

The most common symptoms of dry eye disease are:

• painful burning and itching sensations
• redness
• sensitivity to light
• the feeling of having something in your eye
• blurred vision
• eye fatigue
• deteriorated nighttime vision
• overly watery eyes
• stringy, opaque mucus around the eyes

If you suffer from any of these symptoms, even mildly, consider consultation with an eye care professional immediately. Ignoring or neglecting to care for dry eye symptoms in the beginning stages could lead to a chronic condition.

If you do suffer from some type of dry eye syndrome, Bruder Healthcare offers moist heat therapy products to help ease the pain of any symptoms you may be experiencing. Our Moist Heat Compress provides soothing relief to the eyes and eyelids through the use of our patent-pending MediBeads moist heat technology. By design, MediBeads trap water molecules from the atmosphere; after just twenty seconds in the microwave, these molecules are released through the mask as clean, effective moist heat. The moist heat provides immediate relief from symptoms, slowing tear evaporation and soothing eye discomfort. To learn more about moist heat therapy and all of Bruder’s unique medical products, read our blog post titled “Moist Heat Therapy Solutions for Dry Eye” or visit the Shop today.