Dry eye treatment in Kolkata

What it feels like

• Burning, stinging or a sandy, gritty feeling
• Eyes that feel tired by evening, especially after screens
• Watering. Irritated eyes overproduce poor-quality tears that run off instead of coating the eye
• Vision that blurs and clears when you blink
• Discomfort with contact lenses that used to be fine
• Red, crusty eyelid margins in the morning

Why it happens

Tears are a thin three-layer film: oil on top, water in the middle, mucus underneath. Problems in any layer cause dry eye.

• Blocked oil glands (meibomian gland dysfunction): the most common cause. The oil layer thins and tears evaporate fast.
• Screens: we blink about half as often when staring at a phone or laptop.
• Air-conditioning: long office hours in AC, then AC in the car, then AC at home.
• Age and hormones: especially in women after menopause.
• Medicines: antihistamines, some BP tablets, antidepressants, isotretinoin for acne.
• Other conditions: thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's, diabetes, previous LASIK.

Testing

A dry-eye work-up looks at how fast your tear film breaks up, how much tear you produce (Schirmer test), whether the surface of the eye is damaged (dye staining), and how your eyelid oil glands look and express. This tells us which layer is failing, and therefore which treatment will actually help.

Treatment

Daily care at home

• Warm compresses for 5–10 minutes, then gentle lid massage, once or twice a day
• Lid cleaning with a diluted cleanser or prescribed wipes
• The 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds, and blink fully
• Point AC vents away from your face; keep the screen slightly below eye level

In the clinic

• Preservative-free lubricants chosen for your tear type: watery, gel, or oil-based
• Anti-inflammatory drops such as cyclosporine, for chronic inflammation
• Meibomian gland treatment: in-clinic gland expression and heat treatment
• Punctal plugs: tiny plugs in the tear drains to keep your own tears on the eye longer
• Short courses of antibiotics (oral or topical) for stubborn lid disease

Dry eye is usually managed, not cured. Most people get a lot better within six to eight weeks of consistent care.

From a patient

“I've been getting my dry eye treated by Dr. A. Das for a long time. I'm doing very well now, and I just come in for routine check-ups.”

Patient review, translated from Bengali

Questions