Dry eye symptoms result from the inability of the glands involved in tear production to secrete sufficient supply of tears or tears that have good stability.
Dry eye causes incessant irritation of the eyes, especially on waking up after a night's sleep.
It causes grittiness, burning, itching, foreign body lodged in the eye, and various similar discomforts.
If left without medical treatment, dry eye can result in damage of the cornea and, at worst, loss of vision.
Dry eye commonly arises from meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
MGD is associated with up to 75 per cent of dry eye patients.
The ailment leads to inadequate lipid contributions to the tear film, making tears unstable and prone to quick evaporation.
MGD is caused by a variety of factors.
It is most often felt as chronic tenderness in the eyelid, as a result of inflammations and/or plugs of hardened or too thick secretions (also called meibum) blocking the openings of the glands.
The use of a heat compress is a simple but important treatment for MGD.
Several studies have affirmed that heat compresses help increase lipid layer density in tear film by at least 80 per cent within 5 minutes after first applying the compress.
Regular treatment can make the improvement of the lipid layer more sustainable.
A simple heat compress can be fashioned from a clean washcloth, microwaved for about 30 seconds or soaked in hot tap water heated to about 45oC.
It is helpful to have a cotton stocking filled with dry ice and heated in a microwave to a comfortable temperature.
Before applying the warm compress to the eyelid, make it a practice to test the heat to ward off damage to the lid and eye.
Warm washcloth compresses are usually held in place for 3 to 10 minutes.
Whilst washcloths are often used, they may not hold the heat for as long as may be necessary.
Many people have found rice baggies more appropriate.
A rice baggy can be made from some dry uncooked rice put in a cotton sachet big enough to completely cover the eyelid.
Heat the sachet in a microwave long enough to reach a suitable temperature.
You can experiment with different quantities of rice and microwave times until you get it right.
Place the heated sachet over the closed eyelid for up to 20 minutes.
Rice baggies can retain heat much better than washcloths and distribute the heat more uniformly because of their weight.
Another alternative is a potato also heated in a microwave but the weight (and therefore the heat) distribution is not as even as rice baggies.
A freshly boiled egg wrapped in washcloth may also be used.
Boiled eggs provide heat for a long time but, again, uniform transfer of warmth is not possible because of the shape.
More recently, external devices fashioned to function like a warm compress have been used to good effect, including an infrared device and an intense light pulse instrument.
The heat transferred from the warm compress to the eyelid softens the congealed meibum, rendering them easier to express by finger pressure.
To maximise the benefits of heat compress for MGD, it should be followed by eye lid massage to express the lipid secretions so they can fulfil their function in the tear film's lipid layer.
Eyelid massage after heat compress also helps revitalise the functions of meibomian glands once the obstructions have been unclogged.
Dry eye causes incessant irritation of the eyes, especially on waking up after a night's sleep.
It causes grittiness, burning, itching, foreign body lodged in the eye, and various similar discomforts.
If left without medical treatment, dry eye can result in damage of the cornea and, at worst, loss of vision.
Dry eye commonly arises from meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
MGD is associated with up to 75 per cent of dry eye patients.
The ailment leads to inadequate lipid contributions to the tear film, making tears unstable and prone to quick evaporation.
MGD is caused by a variety of factors.
It is most often felt as chronic tenderness in the eyelid, as a result of inflammations and/or plugs of hardened or too thick secretions (also called meibum) blocking the openings of the glands.
The use of a heat compress is a simple but important treatment for MGD.
Several studies have affirmed that heat compresses help increase lipid layer density in tear film by at least 80 per cent within 5 minutes after first applying the compress.
Regular treatment can make the improvement of the lipid layer more sustainable.
A simple heat compress can be fashioned from a clean washcloth, microwaved for about 30 seconds or soaked in hot tap water heated to about 45oC.
It is helpful to have a cotton stocking filled with dry ice and heated in a microwave to a comfortable temperature.
Before applying the warm compress to the eyelid, make it a practice to test the heat to ward off damage to the lid and eye.
Warm washcloth compresses are usually held in place for 3 to 10 minutes.
Whilst washcloths are often used, they may not hold the heat for as long as may be necessary.
Many people have found rice baggies more appropriate.
A rice baggy can be made from some dry uncooked rice put in a cotton sachet big enough to completely cover the eyelid.
Heat the sachet in a microwave long enough to reach a suitable temperature.
You can experiment with different quantities of rice and microwave times until you get it right.
Place the heated sachet over the closed eyelid for up to 20 minutes.
Rice baggies can retain heat much better than washcloths and distribute the heat more uniformly because of their weight.
Another alternative is a potato also heated in a microwave but the weight (and therefore the heat) distribution is not as even as rice baggies.
A freshly boiled egg wrapped in washcloth may also be used.
Boiled eggs provide heat for a long time but, again, uniform transfer of warmth is not possible because of the shape.
More recently, external devices fashioned to function like a warm compress have been used to good effect, including an infrared device and an intense light pulse instrument.
The heat transferred from the warm compress to the eyelid softens the congealed meibum, rendering them easier to express by finger pressure.
To maximise the benefits of heat compress for MGD, it should be followed by eye lid massage to express the lipid secretions so they can fulfil their function in the tear film's lipid layer.
Eyelid massage after heat compress also helps revitalise the functions of meibomian glands once the obstructions have been unclogged.
Source...