Skip to content
Like Us

Opening Times

Find Us

Covid-19 Update and Information

logo

Call us on 028 7134 5891

BOOK AN APPOINMENT

Opening Time

Days Open Close
Monday9:00 am5:30 pm
Tuesday9:00 am5:30 pm
Wednesday9:00 am5:30 pm
Thursday9:00 am5:30 pm
Friday9:00 am5:30 pm
Saturday9:00 am3:00 pm
SundayClosed
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Team
  • Services
    • Eye Examination
    • PEARS – NHS FREE SERVICE
    • Contact Lenses
    • Children’s Eyecare
    • Home Visits
    • Dry Eye and Red Eye Assessments
    • Monthly Pay Plan
    • Ortho-K Lenses
    • Glasses
    • Corporate Eye Care
    • Colour and Dyslexia
  • Eye Health
    • Myopia
    • Hyperopia
    • Presbyopia
    • Glaucoma
    • Diabetes
    • Macular Degeneration
    • Cataracts
    • Retinitis Pigmentosa
    • Nystagmus
    • Retinal Detachment
    • Floaters and Flashing Lights
    • Dry Eyes & Dry Eye Syndrome
    • Blepharitis
    • Keratoconus
    • Did You Know?
  • Contact Lenses
    • Experienced Fitters
    • Free Contact Lens Trial
    • Who can wear contact lenses?
    • How do I get Started?
    • Looking after your eyes and your lenses
    • Contact Lens Plan
    • Kids and Teens
    • Myopia Control
    • Ortho-K
  • Children
    • Overview
    • Visual Development
    • Colour and Dyslexia
      • Colorimetry and Visual Stress
      • What is Visual Stress?
      • What is involved in the Assessment?
      • FAQs
      • Tom’s Story
    • Myopia Control
    • Kids and Sports
    • UV and the eye
    • Contact Lenses and Children
  • Eyewear
  • SPECIAL OFFERS
  • Blog
  • Contact
×
  • Home
  • About
    • About Us
    • Our Team
  • Services
    • Eye Examination
    • PEARS – NHS FREE SERVICE
    • Contact Lenses
    • Children’s Eyecare
    • Home Visits
    • Dry Eye and Red Eye Assessments
    • Monthly Pay Plan
    • Ortho-K Lenses
    • Glasses
    • Corporate Eye Care
    • Colour and Dyslexia
  • Eye Health
    • Myopia
    • Hyperopia
    • Presbyopia
    • Glaucoma
    • Diabetes
    • Macular Degeneration
    • Cataracts
    • Retinitis Pigmentosa
    • Nystagmus
    • Retinal Detachment
    • Floaters and Flashing Lights
    • Dry Eyes & Dry Eye Syndrome
    • Blepharitis
    • Keratoconus
    • Did You Know?
  • Contact Lenses
    • Experienced Fitters
    • Free Contact Lens Trial
    • Who can wear contact lenses?
    • How do I get Started?
    • Looking after your eyes and your lenses
    • Contact Lens Plan
    • Kids and Teens
    • Myopia Control
    • Ortho-K
  • Children
    • Overview
    • Visual Development
    • Colour and Dyslexia
      • Colorimetry and Visual Stress
      • What is Visual Stress?
      • What is involved in the Assessment?
      • FAQs
      • Tom’s Story
    • Myopia Control
    • Kids and Sports
    • UV and the eye
    • Contact Lenses and Children
  • Eyewear
  • SPECIAL OFFERS
  • Blog
  • Contact
logo
  • 028 7134 5891
CONTACT US
BOOK AN APPOINTMENT

Good news: get £10 off your next pair of glasses

GET YOUR VOUCHER

ENTER YOUR DETAILS TO GET £10 OFF

YOUR NEXT PAIR OF GLASSES

  • Eye Health
    • Myopia
    • Hyperopia
    • Presbyopia
    • Glaucoma
    • Diabetes
    • Macular Degeneration
    • Cataracts
    • Retinitis Pigmentosa
    • Nystagmus
    • Retinal Detachment
    • Floaters and Flashing Lights
    • Dry Eyes & Dry Eye Syndrome
      • Self Help for Your Dry Eye
    • Blepharitis
    • Keratoconus
    • Did You Know?

Self Help for Your Dry Eye

This is a short section on initial self-help for dry eye. For more information on the background causes of dry eye see the main section of our website.

If you are still experiencing discomfort after following the basic advice below, book a Dry Eye appointment for a detailed assessment and ocular surface examination to enable us to develop a more individualised treatment programme for you.

All the products mentioned below are available from this practice.

Symptoms of Dry Eye include feelings such asgritty, burning, red, scratchy, stinging, watery, irritated, sore, and blurry unstable vision.

This can be a problem at any age but is more common in older people, up to nearly a third of people over 65 years complain of dry eye related problems.

Apart from age, which can’t be helped, there are other reasons for dry eye and attention to the controlling the main culprits should improve symptoms.

  1. Environment – air conditioning (office or car); long periods staring at a screen without taking a break. 20-20 rule. Take 20 seconds off every 20 minutes.
  2. Smoking – doesn’t help anything!
  3. Blinking – inefficient blinks don’t allow the tear layer to reform correctly. The optimal blink should be : Full and Complete, Relaxed and Light, Quick and Rapid, Confident and Natural.
  4. Diet and hydration – maintain a balanced healthy diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids and adequate hydration.
  5. Health – Rheumatiod Arthritis, Sjogren’s Syndrome, Systemic Lupus can all cause severe dry eye.
  6. Tear quality and quantity – three layers of tears, all interdependent. Mucin next to the cornea, a thick and changeable watery tear layer, and a topping of lipid (oil). An imbalance will result in poorer lubrication between the lids and the cornea.

Drops – the most common type of dry eye is where the tears are unstable due to evaporation. This may mean that the eyes water too much (but it’s still due to dry eye!) improving the tear quality by improving lubrication is the next step, but which drop?

Try first good long acting drops such as Systane Balance, Hyabak, or Artelac Rebalance. Use these several times a day routinely to keep the corneal surface wet and slippery. Too little use, or only used when your eyes are already sore is pointless.

If you,tend to wake up with sore eyes, apply a good “line” of lubricating long acting gel just before bedtime. Try Vita-POS or Artelac Nightime gel.

Putting drops in – After washing your hands, remove the top of the dropper taking care not to touch it, and tilt your head backwards. Pull down the lower lid to form a pocket with one finger and with the other hand aim the nozzle close to this pocket and squeeze gently. Aim for one drop only.

For ointments and gels it may be easier to lie down.

Lipid Sprays – these act by re-establishing the oily lipid layer which is so important to maintaining balanced tears. The effect is quite long lasting, but can be used up to 4 times a day if you are prone to rubbing your eyes!

Warm Compresses and Lid Hygiene – by warming the eyelid glands, the oils there are softened and mix better with the other tear components. With a short lid massage following Eyebag session, blockages are gradually reduced and the lid margin will become more comfortable. It is probably the single best thing you can do to help your dry eye.

The equipment needed is an Eyebag. This retains the constant heat necessary to work the magic.

Lid hygiene – the lid margin can become crusty, flakey, red, sore and irritated. Routine cleaning using solutions designed for the purpose will be more effective than home-made remedies. Blephasol and OcuSoft are especially recommended.

Use after Eyebag and lid massage.

See Blepharitis for more info.

What works best for some won’t necessarily for others (not all dry eye has the same cause) and the condition isn’t curable – but is manageable. The aim is to develop a practical routine using the best products available for your dry eye, to achieve relative comfort and content.

https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/01/fl.jpg
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/01/gl1.jpg
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/01/silhouette.png
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/01/gl3.jpg
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/01/gl2.jpg
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/01/ok.jpg
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/01/Marc-Cain-small-1-1.png
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/01/stepper-small-3-1.png
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/01/cat-1.png
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/01/nike-2-1-1.png
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/02/kaos.png
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/04/dvf_logo_detail-1.gif
https://ruthbigger.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/12/2019/01/lacoste-1.png

About Us

ABOUT US
  • Testimonials
  • Contact Us
  • About Us

Services

SERVICES
  • Book an Appointment
  • Services
  • FAQs

Contact Us

40 Clooney Terrace, Waterside, Londonderry, BT47 6AP
TEL: 028 7134 5891
Info@ruthbigger.co.uk

Don’t Miss Out

Keep up-to-date with all the latest news, collections, and more.

Privacy Policy Cookie Policy

© 2019 Ruth Bigger Opticians. All rights reserved. Website Designed and Developed by OptiCommerce

Scroll To Top