Page 65 - Demo

Supporting you 65If one eye drop makes your eyes sore, they all will.%u201dThere are lots of eye drops for glaucoma. They contain different drugs and other ingredients. You%u2019ll react differently to all of these. If one eye drop makes your eyes sore, it%u2019s likely that another one will be okay for you.Many eye drops contain a preservative. This is often what makes your eyes itchy. Switching to a preservative-free eye drop may help.Talk to your eye doctor about any side effects you get from your eye drops.Dry eye disease and blepharitis are the same thing.%u201dSome treatments for glaucoma can cause dry eye disease or blepharitis. Because of this, many people with glaucoma also have one or both of these conditions.The symptoms and causes of dry eye disease and blepharitis are similar. Both can make your eyes red, sore, itchy and watery. Both involve changes in the glands that make tears.You have three layers of tears. The inner layer is mucous, the middle layer is watery and the outer layer is oily. The outer oily layer of tears forms a waterproof barrier that stops your tears drying up too quickly.Dry eye disease is when you do not make enough watery tears or they dry up too quickly. That might seem strange as your eyes might be watering a lot. When your eyes are dry, a reflex reaction causes you to make more tears so your eyes water. Blepharitis is inflammation of your eyelids, especially around the edges. The skin around the edges of your eyelids may be scaly or flaky. It can lead to blockages in the glands that make oily tears.Most eyecare professionals say dry eye disease and blepharitis are distinct conditions. Some eyecare professionals say they%u2019re perhaps different displays or stages of the same thing. In either case, there are differences in treatment.The most common treatments for dry eye disease are artificial tear eye drops, ointments or gels. The most common treatments for blepharitis are cleaning your eyelids and using warm compresses to loosen blockages in the glands that make oily tears.If you have a question about glaucoma, contact our helpline. Email helpline@glaucoma.uk or call 01233 648 170.%u201c%u201c