Sjogrens Eye

One of the symptoms of Sjogrens Syndrome is dry eyes.  You could be forgiven for being confused about dry eye [sometimes called Sjogrens Eye] when you know that the eyes can be over-teary, but this excessive watering does happen. You need to be aware that there are two different types of tears, one is produced all through the day and these are ‘lubricating’ tears.  These kind of tears are made up of a very precise balance of mucous, water, oil, nutrient proteins and antibodies which serve to keep the front surface of the eye well lubricated at all times. The other kind of tear is called a ‘reflex’ tear, but this does not have the lubrication properties of the other kind of tear.  The reflex tear is exactly what it says – a reflex tear is the response to some kind of problem with the eye, perhaps you get a foreign body lodged, you are around a smoky atmosphere, you could even have an accident and injure your eye. Your reflex tears are produced in such quantity that your drainage system cannot get rid of them and they spill out.  Another reason you can have an excess of reflex tears is because your eye is not being lubricated properly.  You could be suffering dry eyes because of some medical condition in your body. If you are experiencing this excessive watering for no apparent reason then you really should look into the problem, it could be pointing to the fact that there is a real problem with your eyes. Sjogren’s Syndrome is one of these disorders which can produce dry eyes. Your dry eyes can give you varying degrees of discomfort from minimal to severe, so severe that you can get bad complications if you don’t do something about getting treatment at the right time. You will, as described above, have excess watering from the reflex tears. Your eyes will always feel itchy and burning, as though you have sand under your eyelids. When you have been concentrating on something for a while, a book, a computer or the television, your vision could start to get blurred. Your eyes could look red and sticky from the mucous discharged from the eye. There are many reasons for dry eyes, and as mentioned before, one of them is Sjogrens Syndrome. Even though Sjogrens Syndrome as such isn’t curable, there are many treatments available to alleviate symptoms, such as Sjogrens eye.  The most common being artificial teardrops.  These come in different forms, liquid, gelform or ointment with differing shelf-lives, this being because some of them have preservatives and some don’t. You may only be able to tolerate artificial tears without preservatives, and this is alright becuse the tears are available with or without preservatives, hence the differing shelf lives. There is another process in which one or both of your tear ducts can be plugged to enable the tears to stay in your eye for longer, keeping it lubricated.  It is not just a case of your eye being lubricated, this is all very necessary to prevent any damage to the cornea. It is very necessary for your eyes to be lubricated, without this you could develope small abrasions to your eyeball. There are things you can do to counteract this condition, one of which being to use a humidifier, even in the cold weather.  Avoid smoke, especially second-hand smoke and don’t be in a direct line with an air-conditioner.  Try to remember to blink more often to encourage lubrication and give your eyes a rest when they feel that they need it. You should definitely consult your doctor if your eyes become red and/or painful.  If you develop a discharge from the eye or have a lesion on your eye or eyelid. If you have tried to cure the symptoms yourself with over-the-counter remedies and you still have the symptoms after a few days, then you should definitely consult your doctor.

Click here for more information on natural therapies to ease the problems associated with Sjogrens syndrome