News and Views

Watery eyes, particularly in windy, sunny or dry conditions, can be a symptom of ‘dry eye’ and can also be triggered by many medical conditions and taking certain medications.

Gareth Thomas, Head of Sales and Marketing at Altacor, says: “Lubrication of the eye is very sophisticated. The eye is bathed in a film of tears every time you blink. This film has a watery inside contained by an oily outside layer to reduce evaporation, and a lubricant on the innermost layer nearest the eye ball. These delicate layers can easily be disrupted by medication, including the contraceptive pill.”

The characteristic symptom of ‘dry eye’ is scratchy or itchy feeling eyes that look red rimmed. However, the eye can also over compensate resulting in watery eyes. This makes the condition difficult to recognise despite being very easy to treat.

“Insufficient tear volume is the route of the problem, which is why people experience an uncomfortable dry feeling. In many cases the body compensates for the low volume by over-producing tears, which leads to streaming eyes,” Gareth explains.

The specialist ophthalmic-products company has developed a range of products to overcome the problem, including Clinitas Hydrate which can be used overnight to restore the water balance of the tears.

Eloise, mum of two and Housekeeping and Maintenance Manager for a prestigious hotel, found that dry eye was having a major impact on her quality of life:

“It got to the stage where I would put on sunglasses and close my eyes to walk from the house to the car in an attempt to stop my eyes from watering. But still my glove box was full of tissues and I couldn’t use the car’s heating or open the window – any change would make the tears begin. The skin around my eyes was cracked which was very painful and people would often ask what was wrong.

“Before I found out about Clinitas I thought I had tried everything I could – eye drops, sprays, gels, you name it. But none of it worked.”

Eloise got relief from Clinitas Hydrate which adds volume to the tear layer, by holding up to six times its own volume in moisture, so treats the cause of dry eye, not just the symptoms. Its soothing effect lasts for up to six hours, so use before bedtime can help with a good night’s sleep.

Cambridge News journalist Mike Scialom had suffered for years from dry eye brought on, in part, by air conditioning and too much time at the computer screen. This gave him a special interest in talking to Gareth Thomas, Sales and Marketing Manager of Altacor about the science behind Clinitas and he was keen to test it out.

News story

If you may sometimes suffer from tired eyes with a gritty or itching sensation, then you may suffer from ‘dry eye’, a common problem for computer-users.

Good eye hygiene as described below will help prevent dry eye syndrome and the associated condition of blepharitis, which is inflammation (redness and swelling) of the rims of the eyelids.

• Wet a cloth with warm water and hold it against your closed eyes for five to ten minutes. The heat warms up the tiny eyelid glands which release a mucus-like fluid and make it flow more easily. The cleansing action decreases the number of bacteria that break down the oil.

• Massage your eyes by gently rolling your first finger over them in a circular motion – this helps draw the oil out of the glands.

• Gently clean your eyelids using cotton wool and cooled boiled water – a cotton bud can also be used to clean your upper and lower eyelid and remove any crustiness.

• When using a computer try to look away from the screen at regular intervals.

• Use a humidifier and reduce the use of fans in hot, dry environments.

• Consider use of a gentle tear replacement fluid, such as one of the Clinitas products, to provide more moisture and lubrication for the surface of your eye to bring relief, looking for a preservative free solution (such as Clinitas Soothe) would also be beneficial.