Hi there!
I'm sorry to learn that your dry eye condition is causing you discomfort. Please resist the temptation to rub!
In my years of practice, I have seen some very bad consequences from vigourous eye-rubbing, including cataract and retinal detachment, which can be sight threatening!
Dry eyes is actually a relatively common condition, and majority of cases are (thankfully) mild. However I can empathize that the symptoms of grittiness, like having sand in the eye, tearing, and the fear of bright lights etc can be quite bothersome.
The good news is that most cases of dry eyes can be treated with lubricants. If you find that you need to use your lubricants more than 4 times a day I would generally recommend using a preservative-free type (that comes in disposable single-day use vials), so that the preservatives that are found in the bottled form (that can be used up to a month after opening) does not further irritate the surface of your eye.
Preservative-free lubricating eye drops are generally very safe for long term prolonged use.
Lubricating gels can also be used at night (and in the day) to provide more relief, although your vision may be temporarily clouded for a few minutes after applying the gel.
In addition to lubricants, I often advise my patients to perform regular lid cleansing. There is a row of oil glands behind our eye lashes, which function to secrete oil to lubricate the eyes and also prevent tears from evaporting too rapidly.
By cleaning your lids properly (twice a day), the opening of these glands can be unclogged so that oil can be secreted to keep the eyes moist.
The good news is that dry eyes does not cause glaucoma directly. However, more serious cases of dry eyes in which the transparent surface of the eye (cornea) is very rough or scarred up may require steroid eye drops, which can sometimes lead to pressure spikes in the eye.
These pressure spikes need to be detected and treated, to prevent progressive, irreversible damage to the nerve and loss of vision (=glaucoma).
Unfortunately there is seldom a complete "cure" for dry eyes. However, with a combination of lubricating drops and eye lid cleansing, most patients are able to keep their symptoms under control.
I hope you have sought treatment for your dry eyes, and are feeling better! Remember - do not rub your eyes! Feel better soon!
Regards,
DQ
