Ask Your Pharmacist

Q:

My 70-year-old mother often complains of eye fatigue when she wakes up in the morning and a burning sensation in the eyes throughout the day. What is she suffering from?

A:

The symptoms you have described are typical of dry eyes. Other symptoms that she would experience may include the feeling of having a foreign substance in the eye, and/or a stinging or scratchy sensation in the eye.

Causes of dry eyes include dry, dusty or air-conditioned environment, eye injuries or diseases and aging. Medications such as those for allergy, acne, hypertension[Chew1] , and depression may also cause dry eyes as a side-effect. If you are unsure which medications  is causing her this problem, do ask your pharmacist.

Treatment of dry eyes involve the use of artificial tears as eyedrops or ointment. Artificial tears can help the eyes to retain moisture and provide more sustained relief than eye drops containing 0.9% salt solution (i.e. normal saline).  

Eye drops are used during the day. It may be useful for your mother to apply the eyedrops every few hours to prevent her eyes from being dry. The ointment lasts longer but tends to blur vision, thus it is better applied at night. In more severe cases, a doctor may prescribe a steroid eyedrop to be used in conjunction with artificial tears.

There are many types of artifical tears on the market. Some people may be sensitive to preservatives present in these preparations – if your mother feels that the eyedrops are causing itch or irritation, preservative-free eyedrops may be more suitable.   

Apart from using eye drops or ointment, your mother should avoid staying in dry, dusty or air-conditioned places and having air blowing directly at her eyes.  She should also use humdifier where appropriate.

If there is pain, swelling or loss of vision, and/or thick and coloured discharge – see a doctor.

Source: Katherina Juma'at , Pharmacist, Pharmaceutical Society of Singapore

More information and advice can be obtained from your pharmacist. Send your questions to sthealth@sph.com.sg.

References:

1      Staff of the Mayo Cinic (2004), MayoClinic.com – Dry Eyes [online], last update Dec 8 2004. Available http://www.mayoclinic.com/invoke.cfm?id=DS00463 . [Accessed 09/12/2004]

2      US National Library of Medicine (2004), MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia: Dry Eyes [online], last update Oct 28 2004. Available http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/archive/003087/htm . [Accessed 09/12/2004]