Dry Eyes, Computer Vision Syndrome & Eyelid Hygiene

• What’s the connection between the following concerns & dry eyes?
• Do you clean your eyelids (male and female)?
• Exactly how does eyelid condition (blepharitis & meibomian gland obstruction) cause dry eyes?
• Exactly how do you use eyeliner (woman)?
• Just how do you do (apply) or eliminate eye makeup products (woman)?
• Exactly how do you relax your eyes whenever taking a look at the computer display screen for a prolonged amount of time (man or woman)?

Eyes and the Tear film

Tears are created by small glands that surround the eye. The tear film is comprised of three levels:  a top-most oil layer, a center water layer, and lower mucous layer (nearest to the eye). The lower mucous layer acts as an anchor for the tear film and assists it in adhering to the eye. The central layer is comprised of water. The top oil layer seals the tear film and stops evaporation (simply like a slim film of oil poured on a glass of water prevents its evaporation even in the sunlight).

The tear film serves a specific function. It keeps the eye moist (a dry eye would never be in a position to see and the person would be blind), produces a smooth area for light to pass through the eye, nourishes the front side of the eye, and provides security from damage and illness.

The tear production and drainage in the eye has been dealt with extensively in one of our blogposts.

The role of the Eyelid in Tear Production, Distribution & Drainage:

The tear film lipid layer is the major buffer to evaporation of rips from the ocular area. A decrease in its depth or useful integrity may cause evaporative dry eyes. Obstructive meibomian gland dysfunction – MGD – (oil glands present in the eyelid which create the lipid layer of the tear film are known as the meibomian glands) is the absolute most typical cause of dry eyes and happens as a main disorder or following seborrheic or atopic dermatitis, acne rosacea, and with cicatrizing conjunctival problems, such as trachoma, cicatricial pemphigoid, and erythema multiforme. As soon as the meibomian glands have obstructed or don’t function properly, the tear film is most likely to evaporate. In the world today, with a lot of air pollution and the vigorous use of eye makeup, these oil glands tend to get obstructed effortlessly and may be the major cause of dry eyes all over the world.

The eyelids, whenever they blink, help in the circulation and the replenishing of the tear film. Therefore, whenever you look at the computer display for a prolonged duration of time, the eyelids do not blink typically & the tear film is not replenished, leading to dry eyes (computer vision syndrome). Sitting in an artificially atmosphere conditioned space just makes the ear evaporation much more worse and the dry eye syndrome more severe.

Eye MakeUp – How can it cause Dry Eyes?

The eyelid rim (eyelid margin) is the component of the eyelid adjacent to the cornea, tear film, and conjunctiva. Every time we blink, the upper top rim details the reduced top rim and spreads whatever fluid is on the lower lid across the cornea, simply like an automobile windshield wiper will spread across a windshield any debris that’s at the base of the windshield. We wish that the only fluid on the lower lid margin is the clear fluid created by healthy meibomian glands. But, if there’s any makeup product (such as kajal, eyeliner etc.) or make up elimination residue on this reduced rim, then this “windshield wiper result” is distributing make up debris, unclean particles and greasy matter across the tear film. Additionally, by perhaps not eliminating eye makeup products correctly, females can disrupt the capability of the meibomian glands to protect the tear film. The eye mascara (kaajal), eye shadow and eyeliner can all add to the dry eyes by blocking the meibomian glands and avoiding the oil component of the tear film from being created efficiently. This can add to itchy, gritty, dry, and uncomfortable eyes.

Eye Makeup – Use & Removal Tips

Asking clients exactly how they eliminate their eye makeup can really be an “eye opening experience”. Frankly speaking, most of the females do not bother to remove their makup before heading to sleep – they let it “wear away”. Some simply utilize simple water to ‘rinse down’ makeup. Some utilize baby oil or Vaseline. Some use makeup products removers. One individual also told me personally she utilized alcohol to eliminate her makeup, because she considered this a “natural” item!

Commercial make up removers, Vaseline or baby oil all remove makeup from the epidermis around the eye but they will frequently keep behind a “sludge” that consists of a combination of makeup remover and makeup on the eyelid rim, leading to the issues highlighted above.

Therefore just what is the best method to eliminate eye makeup products?

1) Well, initially let’s discuss what we do whenever we place make up on. It’s crucial to make use of just NON waterproof eye makeup products. Waterproof makeup products are too hard to remove without heavy duty makeup products removers.

2) When you use eyeshadow or base/foundation for your eye, do not make use of a scatter method with your makeup brush – you can stop up with thousands of miniscule particles in the eye. These particles are therefore tiny which you may never be conscious of feeling something in their eye, but the particles add to the feeling that the eyes are dry or uncomfortable and they can disrupt the quality of the tear film.

3) Creamy concealers or shadows will migrate towards the eye, therefore make certain they may not be used to apply on the extreme corner of the lid margin.

4) If you put on light eye makeup products, it is simple to eliminate it by washing your face and your eyelids with a mild detergent or cleanser. As you clean your face, just “shampoo” the area of your eyelids with your fingertips to assist eliminate eye makeup products residue. Do this at bedtime and additionally in the early morning.

5) Though the detergent will cleanse the eyelid skin well, to clean the eyelid margin (where the meibomian oil glands are found), make use of a cotton bud. Utilize baby shampoo. Believe it’s simply for bathing your small one? The “tear free” baby shampoo is a great method to eliminate mascara (also waterproof), eyeshadow and eyeliner.

Take baby shampoo on the palm of your hand. Dip a wet cotton bud in the shampoo & utilize it to cleanse the eyelid margin (searching in the mirror), from the medial to the lateral portion of the eyelid.

This will eliminate all eye makeup products particles (kaajal, eyeliner, concealer, eye shadow, etc) & avoid meibomian gland obstruction & dry eyes.

Just how to treat Dry Eyes if you currently have Meibomian Gland Obstruction (Oil Gland obstruction on eyelid margin)?

1) Since the glands are obstructed, cleansing needs to be done of the eyelid margin with a cotton bud & baby shampoo two times a day, for at minimum 4 – 6 days.

2) Post the cleansing, the gland spaces would be washed. Today, dry heat requires to be used for the eyelid margin, to get the blocked oil glands to ‘open up’ and the ‘oil’ to move once more. Dry heat is used by heating sodium on a pan (till it is hot) placing it in a little fabric pouch & using the pouch for 10 minutes on each eyelid margin.

My patient who’s a friend as well, Ms. Anuradha Tandon, a very well-known Mumbai based documentary film-maker & socialite, who has suffered from serious dry eyes, has begun utilizing ground wheat (atta) as a replacement for salt in her warm poultices.

3) As soon as the heating is done, massaging is done to get the clogged, blocked ‘oil’ to move out of the clean orifices. This therapeutic massage is done from down to up for the lower eyelid and from up to down for the upper eyelid (i.e. in the direction of the eyelid margin).

Ten to twenty such shots are provided in the lower as well as upper eyelid of the eyes, post cleansing and therapeutic massage, two times a day.

In summary, the eyelids perform a really crucial part in keeping the tear film & avoiding dry eyes, by manufacturing of the tear lipid (oil) layer & by blinking. Eyelid infections (blepharitis), obstruction of the oil glands by air pollution, eye makeup & post eyelid illness & reduced blinking (as whenever staring a computer screen for very long) cause dry eyes. Dry Eyes can be avoided / treated with sufficient lid hygeine (cleansing, applying dry temperature & massaging), & leisure of the eyes (by staring into the length every 10 – 15 minutes & blinking regularly). Eliminating the eye makeup adequately every night assists to avoid & control the dry eye problem.