Accurate diagnosis to treat dry eye

Another pathology frequently linked to dry eye is blepharitis or inflammation of the eyelid, which may be caused by the infection of a mite found in the follicles of the eyelashes (Demodex folliculorum), as in one of the cases to be presented at the event. Dry eyes due to autoimmune diseases, such as Sjögren's Syndrome -particularly severe cases- will also be addressed, as well as those related to the chronic use of drugs to treat glaucoma or after refractive surgery.

Dr. José Luis Güell, coordinator of the Department of Cornea, Cataract and Refractive Surgery at IMO and professor at the meeting, clarifies that "dry eye after this intervention is transitory in most patients and usually disappears after a few months (in less than 1% of cases it lasts up to a year if the surgery is well indicated)". However, when recovery of the ocular surface is slower or a pre-existing dry eye is decompensated, symptoms should not be underestimated and specific treatment may be necessary.

Determining the most effective therapeutic strategy in each case requires an expert examination that, depending on the causes of dry eye and the patient's characteristics, allows the diagnosis to be individualized and a tailor-made solution to be provided. "The fact that it is a chronic pathology that the patient has to learn to live with does not mean that the disease cannot be modulated and its symptoms minimized," emphasize the IMO specialists. As they conclude, "we can offer different artificial tears and lubricating ointments, omega-3 food supplements, eyelid hygiene routines, anti-inflammatory drugs and innovative in-office treatments, such as thermal pulsation or eyelid microexfoliation, to improve eye health, vision and quality of life".

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