Affects Treatment Outcomes: Severe dry eye can affect the effectiveness of ophthalmic surgery. For example, even if cataract surgery is successful, if the patient’s cornea is too dry, postoperative visual recovery may not be as expected.

Causes of Dry Eye

Dr. Chien Ching-Min, a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and director of Kaohsiung Wufu Nobel Eye Clinic in Taiwan, told The Epoch Times that an increasing number of patients in his clinic experience dry, itchy, and painful eyes, some even with a burning sensation and persistent fatigue. Further questioning often reveals that their vision habits and lifestyles are in areas prone to dry-eye exacerbation. She introduced five common factors that trigger dry eye syndrome:

Prolonged Screen Time: When we focus on a screen, our blinking frequency drops dramatically from the normal 15 to 20 times per minute to only five to seven times over the same period, leading to excessive tear evaporation.
Low Humidity Environment: Air conditioning and heating significantly reduce indoor humidity, accelerating tear evaporation. Many offices, department stores, and airplane cabins have humidity levels below 30 percent, while a suitable humidity level for the eyes should be between 45 and 65 percent.
Polluted and Allergen-Rich Environments: PM2.5, pollen, dust, and even perfumes and chemical cleaners in the air can irritate the eye surface, leading to abnormal tear secretion and tear film instability.
Wind and Sun Exposure: Intense winds, direct sunlight, and elevated temperatures all accelerate tear evaporation, damaging the health of the ocular surface.
Psychological Stress: In addition to external conditions, psychological stress is also a significant factor in dry eye syndrome. Stress increases cortisol secretion, which in turn affects the function of the lacrimal glands, reducing tear production. Prolonged stress can lead to autonomic nervous system dysfunction, interfering with tear production and drainage, and further triggering dry eye syndrome.

Environmental Factors to Ease Dry Eye Syndrome

In addition to improving vision habits and avoiding prolonged use of electronic devices, environmental factors such as computer placement, indoor lighting, humidity, and room furnishings are also important for improving dry eye syndrome.

Screen Position

Prolonged use of electronic devices is a common problem. Wang suggests that the screen should be placed 10 to 15 degrees below eye level, allowing the eyes to look naturally downwards, reducing the exposed area of the eyeball, and slowing tear evaporation. At the same time, the screen brightness should be adjusted to match the ambient light to avoid excessive brightness that can irritate the eyes.

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