There are some simple ways in which you can try and prevent dry eyes. You can wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from dry, harsh winds. You could perhaps have a humidifier installed in your home so you get some moisture into the air. And, most important of all, you can remember to blink regularly. This is especially necessary if you read a lot or do a lot of work on the computer. These are times when you are so engrossed, you tend to stare at the pages or the screen without blinking. Try and consciously blink your eyes at regular intervals. Why should you do this? So that the tears in your eyes do not evaporate.



There is one more thing you will just have to remember to do and that is to drink plenty of water. If it's an 8-oz glass you drink from, make sure you drink at least six of them, more if you have exercised a lot as then you lose a lot of fluid. The water hydrates you and relieves some of the symptoms. Something else that is becoming quite popular as a cure is flaxseed oil. Even eye care specialists recommend it as it is full of omega-3 which is supposed to be good for the oily mucous-like film that coats the eye. What is said to be even better is if flaxseed oil is combined with a fish oil supplement. This is supposed to make it more effective.

If you do have dry eyes even if you've tried all the possible ways to prevent it, what do you do? You need to treat the problem. Let's take a look at some of the ways to manage dry eye syndrome. Wearing spectacles helps of course. What might be needed in a bad case is spectacles that have pads all around to protect you completely from the wind and the sun. Sometimes, moistening these pads help a lot. If your dry eyes are caused because of certain medication you are taking - some do have these side effects - talk to your physician who will probably change it if he can. Or he might modify the dosage. You could also suffer from it if you sleep with your eyes slightly open. Here again, the eyes dry up due to the tears evaporating. So what do you do if your medication cannot be changed or it is because of your eyes being open during sleep? The answer is: a lubricating cream. Make sure you get one that your eye care provider has prescribed. This usually works as a short-term measure. Or, if the problem is very severe, you might need to resort to surgery which will change the way tears are made in your eyes. You eye care physician would perhaps advise you to have laser treatment done which would involve blocking some tear openings in the eye, thereby retaining more moisture in them. You will also have to take treatment for any allergy or arthritic conditions that you might have as they contribute to the dry eye syndrome.