User:Mr. Ibrahem/Dry eye syndrome
Medical condition / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dry eye syndrome (DES), also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), is the condition of having dry eyes.[2] Other associated symptoms include irritation, redness, discharge, and easily fatigued eyes. Blurred vision may also occur.[2] The symptoms can range from mild and occasional to severe and continuous.[3] Scarring of the cornea may occur in some cases without treatment.[2]
Dry eye syndrome | |
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Other names | Dry eye, keratoconjunctivitis sicca, dry eye disease (DED), keratitis sicca |
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Diffuse lissamine green staining in a person with severe dry eye.[1] | |
Specialty | Ophthalmology |
Symptoms | Dry eyes, irritation, redness, discharge, blurred vision[2] |
Complications | Corneal scarring[2] |
Causes | Contact lenses, meibomian gland dysfunction, allergies, pregnancy, Sjögren syndrome, vitamin A deficiency, LASIK surgery, antihistamines, hormone replacement therapy, antidepressants[2][3][4] |
Diagnostic method | Based on symptom[5] |
Treatment | Artificial tears, wrap around glasses, changing certain medications[2] |
Medication | Ciclosporin, steroid eye drops[2] |
Frequency | ~20%[6] |
Dry eye occurs when either the eye does not produce enough tears or when the tears evaporate too quickly.[2] This can result from contact lens use, meibomian gland dysfunction, allergies, pregnancy, Sjögren syndrome, vitamin A deficiency, LASIK surgery, and certain medications such as antihistamines, some blood pressure medication, hormone replacement therapy, and antidepressants.[2][3][4] Chronic conjunctivitis such as from tobacco smoke exposure or infection may also lead to the condition.[2] Diagnosis is mostly based on the symptoms, though a number of other tests may be used.[5]
Treatment depends on the underlying cause.[2] Artificial tears are the usual first line treatment.[2] Wrap around glasses that fit close to the face may decrease tear evaporation.[2] Stopping or changing certain medications may help.[2] The medication ciclosporin or steroid eye drops may be used in some cases.[2] Another option is lacrimal plugs that prevent tears from draining from the surface of the eye.[2] Dry eye syndrome occasionally makes wearing contact lenses impossible.[2]
Dry eye syndrome is a common eye disease.[3] It affects 5–34% of people to some degree depending on the population looked at.[6] Among older people it affects up to 70%.[7] In China it affects about 17% of people.[8] The phrase "keratoconjunctivitis sicca" means "dryness of the cornea and conjunctiva" in Latin.[9]