Does dry eye drive you crazy?: advice from an ophthalmologist

Do you have problems with your eyes? could you have dry eye? The experts of the blog «Health and prevention», in this post from the specialty of ophthalmology, offer you advice

The eyes need to be lubricated by tears in order to function properly and be healthy. If not, discomfort and even a pathology known as ‘dry eye’ appear.

This occurs when the eyes are not sufficiently protected by tears, either because they produce enough, or because they do not have the right composition.

Dry eye represents an increasingly frequent problem, apart from being one of the pathologies that are studied the most in consultation, according to Dr. Nabil Ragaei Kamel, head of the Ophthalmology Service of the Hospital Quirónsalud San José (Madrid): “This is due to many factors. Perhaps the boom right now is more related to the use of screens, and to the lifestyle we lead indoors, where there are dry environments, heating, or air conditioning in summer.”

Moreover, it highlights that the incidence of dry eye has also been pronounced with the use of masks.

“Perhaps this may be related to the dysfunction of meibomian tears, which is called blepharitis, a chronic inflammation of the glands on the edge of the eyelid, from which a greasy secretion comes out that irritates the eye and destabilizes the tear layer or film. These glands normally produce a fine fat that forms a very thin layer that protects the tear film and keeps the eye moist”, explains the Quirónsalud specialist.

However, this ophthalmologist emphasizes that, if this process does not develop correctly, the type of fat secreted by these glands becomes harmful to the eye, consequently destabilizing that tear layer.

“Doing this produces more evaporation of the tear, so it does not last in the eye and does not protect the ocular surface”, he adds.

The prevalence of dry eye also increases with age, according to this doctor, being more frequent among women of menopausal age.

Taking some drugs, or pathologies such as rheumatoid arthritis or Sjögren’s syndrome also influence the appearance of dry eye.

Dry eye symptoms and possible treatments

Among the symptoms of dry eye, the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) points to the following:

• Itchy and burning eyes
• Red eye
• have many tears
• Eye pain when wearing contact lenses
• Rough or lines of mucus inside or around the eye
• Feeling of grittiness and discomfort
• Blurred vision, especially when reading

Regarding treatment, Dr. Ragaei Kamel indicates that the ophthalmologist may advise the use of artificial tears, a series of compounds that mimic the composition of natural tears; the use of eye drops; and since in many cases dry eye is accompanied by blepharitis, he points to palpebral hygiene, which consists of applying heat to the eye, followed by a gentle massage on the edge of the eyelid with a foam, gel or wipe, something that is especially indicated in the mornings.

“There are also a series of general measures such as avoiding environments with smoke, draughts, dry environments, air conditioning jets directed at the face, driving with the windows closed, etc. that your ophthalmologist will explain to you”, adds in this sense the Spanish Society of Ophthalmology (SEO).

The power of the IPL laser

However, the head of the Ophthalmology Service at Quirónsalud San José Hospital maintains that sometimes, despite these measures, discomfort may persist or the dry eye situation may not improve.

“A very good solution for this pathology is the IPL or pulsed light laser. It is a very simple treatment that is carried out in consultation, normally there are three sessions, each lasting two minutes. The application is carried out by means of light pulses around the eye, they are never carried out directly on the eye, and thus any related risk is avoided”, details this expert.

As indicated, the application around the eye causes a calculated wave of heat to spread through the tissues below the skin, reaching the glands of the eyelid, and stimulating them.

“With this technique it is possible to change its secretion, and produce less harmful fat. Consequently, the patient obtains a better tear layer, which lasts longer in the eye, while avoiding its early evaporation, as well as ocular dryness”, values ​​Dr. Nabil Ragaei Kamel.

Specifically, this specialist recalls that the application of the IPL laser is “very simple”, and practically takes one minute per eye.

“The eye is covered and protected at all times, and after application there is no special indication, except for the use of factor 50 protective creams, because the skin becomes more sensitive to the sun during the first 4-5 days after treatment. . Other than that there is no further indication or anything special. It can be continued after the treatment session with the normal life of the patient and also without any problem”, concludes the head of the Ophthalmology Service of the Quirónsalud San José Hospital.

Human Rights, Economic Ties Drive Decisions to Boycott – or Not – 2022 Olympics

SAN FRANCISCO — 

As much as China and the International Olympic Committee have pushed for the Olympic Games to be a neutral event, political controversy and boycotts of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics started months before Friday’s opening ceremonies.

But not everyone’s enmeshed in politics.

Boycott supporters, including human rights groups, are calling out Beijing over perceived strong-arm tactics toward Taiwan, anti-Beijing protesters in the Chinese territory of Hong Kong and the largely Muslim Uyghur population in the Chinese Xinjiang region.

Yet analysts say many developing countries value their economic ties with China, political divides notwithstanding, so they sent officials as well as athletes to stay on Beijing’s good side.

Australia has avoided sending government officials to the Feb. 4-20 Games over its belief that China is abusing human rights and refusing to hold talks on trade and diplomatic disputes. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that decision in early December, becoming one of the dozen-plus countries that announced diplomatic boycotts.

Most other countries with diplomatic boycotts are like Australia – with a record of concerns about human rights in China and enough wealth to get past any economic reprisals. The United States announced its diplomatic boycott in December. Canada, New Zealand, Japan, Taiwan and some 10 European countries have followed. Although government officials will not be attending, these nations still let their athletes compete in the Winter Games.

“In Europe, I think it’s very important and here in the United States and in Australia, there are populations that really do care about human rights,” said Scott Harold, a Washington-based senior political scientist with the Rand Corporation research group. “This is not just a stick to beat China or an attempt to contain China’s rise. It’s really in part about living the values that you say guide your polity.”

Six Summer or Winter Olympiads over the event’s more than 100-year history have weathered boycotts.

Officials in Beijing see diplomatic boycotts as an inappropriate mix of sports and politics. They vowed reprisal against the United States in December.

Photo Gallery:

2022 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony

The U.S. diplomatic boycott of its Games “seriously violated the principle of the political neutrality of sports established by the Olympic Charter and that the U.S. will pay a price for it,” state-run China Daily reported.

China has denied accusations of human rights abuses and described the reasons for some U.S. lawmakers’ call for a diplomatic boycott as “full of lies and false information” that is “based on ideology and political prejudice” according to Chinese state media outlet Xinhua News Agency.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment on this story.

Economic, regional ties

Chinese economic clout stops some governments from boycotting, said James Gomez, regional director of the Asia Centre, a Bangkok-based think tank. Countries throughout the developing world, especially in Asia and Africa, look to China’s $15.6 trillion economy as an irreplaceable market for exports and a source of direct investment.

“China is there, it’s big, so let’s just play nice even if they may not mean it because in the play of diplomacy everybody does the doublespeak,” Gomez said. “So, even if they may be aligned politically in a different way, they will still not publicly distance themselves from China.”

The Philippines, which has its own list of problems with China, decided to send three officials to the Games with its single athlete, alpine skier Asa Miller.

Filipinos had “hardly any public discussion about participating or not” in the Games this month, said Herman Kraft, a political science professor at the University of the Philippines Diliman. Beijing and Manila have sparred with occasional ship standoffs since 2012 for control over the resource-rich South China Sea between them.

“There might be some concern about reprisals, but I think it’s more of a preemptive thing in the sense that they’re not too interested in using the Olympics as a forum or an arena where relations with China might actually be made at risk,” Kraft said.

Other Southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia and Vietnam, also vie with China over maritime sovereignty, but Malaysia has praised China for hosting the Olympics. Vietnamese President Nguyen Xuan Phuc sent a letter to Chinese officials wishing them a successful Winter Olympics, according to Vietnamese state media, Nhân Dân.

A “fear of further sanctions” may explain South Korea’s unwillingness to boycott the Games, the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a Jan. 13 study. China sanctioned South Korea after its deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in 2016, the study says, costing tourism alone $15.7 billion.

Beijing kicked off the Olympics on Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and International Olympic Committee President Thomas Bach appearing at an opening ceremony in the National Stadium.