Tired and irritated eyes due to smartphones

In Germany alone, more than 10 million people suffer from dry eyes. The trend is rising steeply because, in this age of computer work and smartphones, more and more people are now affected by dry eyes, even at a young age. Help as to which drops are best suited for whom can be found at your pharmacy. We asked the pharmacist Dorothea Groß for you.

How do you notice that you have dry eyes?

Typical indicators are burning and reddened eyes, frequent inflammation or an annoying sensation of having a foreign body in your eye. If you work a lot at a monitor, the symptoms can get worse as the days goes on.
 

What can you do against this?

It is helpful to look away from the monitor regularly, to look into the distance for a longer period of time, to massage your eyes and to drink plenty. But that is usually not enough. Your eyes need to be regularly lubricated in order to protect them from drying out, because when your eye has really dried out, it may take several months before it is regenerated again.
 

What should patients look out for with eye lubricants?

I basically only recommend unpreserved eye lubricants because preserving agents irritate the surface of the eye. Unpreserved products are also available in the form of single-dose containers, which usually result in higher treatment costs though because they only contain a small amount of drops. Drops packaged in the COMOD system^® are very cost-effective, firstly because they have a great yield and also because they can be used for up to 6 months after opening. In addition, I make sure that the eye drops are phosphate-free. If the surface of the eye is already damaged, phosphates can form irreversible deposits.
 

Are there special ingredients for patients who work a lot at a monitor?

The use of Euphrasia is especially recommended for irritated eyes because it is known for its soothing effect. In combination with hyaluronan, it adheres longer to the surface of the eye. What is more, these drops are also great for children who are suffering from irritated eyes.
 

What do you recommend for contact lens wearers?

Unpreserved products, like those packaged in the COMOD^® system, are very important here, as some preserving agents can deposit themselves in the contact lenses and lead to discolouration and intolerances. Hyaluronan is exceptionally well-suited to lubricating contact lenses. The contact lenses can simply stay in your eyes.