DR. MARTIN SCURR: Why massaging your eyelids helps relieve dry eyes

I have been diagnosed with dry eyes and have been using drops and warm eye pads for the past two weeks. But it’s still very uncomfortable. Can you suggest another remedy?

Jayne Cole, Southampton.

Up to one in four of us suffer from dry eyes, but many may not know it because the symptoms it causes can be confusing: mostly because, paradoxically, dry eyes sometimes flow with tears.

These tears are the eye’s way of compensating for dryness.

Normally, a layer of tears spreads over the surface of the eye with each blink. It provides a protective covering that allows the eyelids to open and close comfortably. It also has healing properties.

The tear film consists of a mucous inner layer, a watery middle layer and an oily outer layer that prevents the watery layer from evaporating too quickly.

However, for various reasons such as age or hormonal changes associated with menopause, the meibomian glands that line the eyelid and produce the oily secretions become less productive – and any oil they produce becomes less potent.

This means that the aqueous layer is left unprotected, allowing it to evaporate or drain away as tears, leaving the eye feeling dry, sore and painful.

Using moisturizing eye drops will help. You say in your longer letter that you take sodium hyaluronate, but it treats the symptom and does not cure it.

The best results are achieved with careful, regular eye hygiene. This includes applying heat to the eyelids to soften sticky oil secretions that can clog the meibomian gland exits. Do this for four to five minutes.

You should also apply some pressure to the area by massaging along the edge of the lid with a cotton swab. After the heat treatment, wipe along the outer edge of each eyelid – three to four strokes along each lower eyelid. It works even better if you dip the cotton swab in baby shampoo.

The best way to apply heat is with a warm compress, e.g. B. a washcloth that is wrung out in hot water after being soaked. You can also buy a corn eye compress that is heated in the microwave (make sure you follow the directions).

I also experimented with an Eye Wand, a vibrating eyelid warmer. These are readily available online, although they can cost in the region of £60.

As you get into the habit of using and massaging the compresses daily, you will find that lubricated eye drops are only needed occasionally.

Another consideration is that prolonged use of laptops and other screens seems to result in less flickering, which impedes the normal distribution of tear film over the eyes. So make sure to take a screen break every hour if that applies to you.

I hope that this cure will lead to an improvement in a few weeks.

When I visited the ER with a broken rib, I was told my heart rate was a little high. Since then I have checked my resting heart rate and it is 80 beats per minute (bpm), which surprises me. I do a 30 minute brisk walk daily and a 30 minute hill walk weekly without any discomfort. Do I need medication to lower my heart rate?

Paul Jones, by email.

I don’t think you need to worry about that. You say in your long letter that you take doxazosin, prescribed for high blood pressure.

This is a drug called an alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist. A known and harmless side effect of these drugs is reflex tachycardia, which makes the heart beat faster.

A slightly increased heart rate does no harm: you are still in the normal range of 60 to 100 beats per minute.

It is important that your blood pressure is normal and that you are free of symptoms when you exercise and that you are not short of breath, which indicates that your heart function is good.

Rest assured, you don’t have to worry.

Write to Dr. scramble

Write to Dr. Scurr to Good Health, Daily Mail, 9 Derry Street, London W8 5HY or email: drmartin@dailymail.co.uk — add contact details. DR Scurr cannot respond to personal correspondence. Answers should be taken in a general context. If you have health problems, contact your GP.