The Emergency Doctor’s Guide to Healing Dry Eyes: The Emergency Doctor’s Guides, #2
()
About this ebook
Dry eyes driving you mad?
You spend hours working on your computer or staring at your phone.
You turn the car’s air vents away from your eyes.
Dry air or contact lenses transform you into a red-eyed beast.
Friends say, “Do you have pink eye?” because you look so bloodshot.
Can you relate? Congratulations! You have dry eyes, just like 1 in 4 Canadians, and 30 million Americans, who may suffer in silence.
This fast, funny book, by emergency physician Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes, shows you how to get relief from dry eyes, based on the latest research.
Stop suffering. Start living.
Dr. Melissa Yuan-Innes is a practicing emergency doctor with an a special interest in health education. She writes columns for The Medical Post. Find her at www.myi.ninja.
"Dr. Melissa covers every essential point about dry eye care—and makes me laugh out loud."—Dr. Christine Suess, MD, FRCSC, and comprehensive ophthalmologist for 17 years with expertise in treating dry eyes
"I just finished The Emergency Doctor’s Guide to Healing Dry Eyes, and medical humour is now officially my favourite non-fiction genre! The information in this book was bite-sized and actionable. I think it will help a lot of people, myself included." —Dawn Kiddell, dry eye patient, CEO and Chief Librarian of the Cornwall Public Library
“Unfortunately, the gods of dry eye have no sense of humor. I want to use The Emergency Doctor’s Guide to Healing Dry Eyes as a teaching aid for my patients. It pretty much nails a dry eye treatment approach in all aspects. I could feel Dr. Yuan-Innes's frustration and efforts to find relief, and I must admit, I had more than a few smiles along the way.” —Dr. Steven Bacher, Optometrist in Cornwall, Ontario
Read more from Melissa Yuan Innes
The War of the Janitors Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Emergency Doctor's Guide to a Pain-Free Back: Fast Tips and Exercises for Healing and Relief Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFairy Tales are for White People: a short story and author essay Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsReckless Homicide: Five Tales of Death and Deception Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to The Emergency Doctor’s Guide to Healing Dry Eyes
Titles in the series (1)
The Emergency Doctor’s Guide to Healing Dry Eyes: The Emergency Doctor’s Guides, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related ebooks
Dry Eyes, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Treatment And Related Conditions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEye Care Basics Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Big Book of Family Eye Care: A Contemporary Reference for Vision and Eye Care Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSight Without Glasses Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Eye Diet Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsVision and Sight: Eye Care the Natural Way Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEye Strain. Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, and Conditions. Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRed Eyes (Conjunctivitis), A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsInstant Eyesight: How to Improve Eyesight Instantly! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Improve Your Eyesight: A Guide to the Bates Method for Better Eyesight without Glasses Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Simple Guide to Asthenopia (Tired Eyes), Diagnosis, Treatment and Related Conditions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRetina Detachment, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Condition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEnergetic EyeHealing: No Exercise Way of Improving Vision Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Heal Your Dry Eyes: Nutrition & Recipes Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLichen Sclerosus Diet: A Beginner's 3-Week Guide for Women, With Curated Recipes and a Sample Meal Plan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Eye Care Revolution:: Prevent And Reverse Common Vision Problems, Revised And Updated Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Better Eyesight for Busy People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Get Rid of the Blues: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Varicose and Spider Veins but Didn't Know Who to Ask Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCure Tennis Elbow Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5How to Live to a Hundred Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Folate Story: A vitamin under the microscope Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGuard Your Teeth!: Why the Dental Industry Fails Us - A Guide to Natural Dental Care Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOveractive Bladder, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWho Says I Can't? A Guide to Living Well with COPD Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDon't Panic They're Just Hemorrhoids Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Unconventional Guide to Cure Foot Problems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Obstructive Sleep Apnea, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Truth About Eczema Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Wellness For You
The Big Book of 30-Day Challenges: 60 Habit-Forming Programs to Live an Infinitely Better Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Am I Doing?: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Outsmart Your Brain: Why Learning is Hard and How You Can Make It Easy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mating in Captivity: Unlocking Erotic Intelligence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When the Body Says No Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thinner Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Female Body Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Bigger Leaner Stronger: The Simple Science of Building the Ultimate Male Body Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Glucose Revolution: The Life-Changing Power of Balancing Your Blood Sugar Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology, and How You Can Heal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Anna Lembke's Dopamine Nation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How Not to Diet: The Groundbreaking Science of Healthy, Permanent Weight Loss Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Wim Hof Method: Activate Your Full Human Potential Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Sex Hacks: Over 100 Tricks, Shortcuts, and Secrets to Set Your Sex Life on Fire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary of Lindsay C. Gibson's Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Illustrated Easy Way to Stop Drinking: Free At Last! Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secret Language of Your Body: The Essential Guide to Health and Wellness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Diabetes Code: Prevent and Reverse Type 2 Diabetes Naturally Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Woman's Guide to Oral Sex: Your guide to incredible, exhilarating, sensational sex Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I Don't Want to Talk About It: Overcoming the Secret Legacy of Male Depression Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Emergency Doctor’s Guide to Healing Dry Eyes
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
The Emergency Doctor’s Guide to Healing Dry Eyes - Melissa Yuan-Innes
This book contains medical information for educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for the medical advice of a licensed physician. The reader should consult with his/her own personal physician or health care provider in any matters relating to his/her health, including diagnosis and treatment.
Copyright © 2017 Melissa Yuan-Innes
Join Melissa’s mailing list at http://melissayuaninnes.com/
Front cover design inspired by Zeljka Kojic
Cover eye © 2010 InspiredImages via Pixabay.com
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission except for brief quotations for fair use in research, study, critical articles and reviews.
For more information, to report any errors, please contact olobooks@gmail.com
Table of Contents
Title Page
Introduction
Why the heck would our eyes dry out?
How do I know if I've got dry eyes?
Quiz: why is this happening to me?
Terrific. Now what can I do about dry eyes?
Mild Dry Eyes: Level I
1. Lifestyle changes
2. Warm, wet eyes
If the eye pillow doesn’t work, try one of two alternative methods:
3. Clean eyelids
4. Omega-3 key
Vegetarian omega-3
Diet Question and Answer
5. Artificial tears
Moderate Dry Eyes: Level II & III
Lubricants (Preservative-free)
Antibiotics
Thermodynamic treatment (Lipiflow®)
Punctal plugs
Hydroxypropyl cellulose ophthalmic inserts (Lacrisert®)
Topical steroids
Cyclosporine
Severe Dry Eyes: Level IV: Big Guns
Mucin enhancement/Secretagogues
Intense Pulsed Light and Meibomian gland expression
Punctal cautery
Serum tears
Scleral contact lens
Tarsorrhaphy
Transplants
Conclusion
About the Author
Introduction
Driving home after a 13-hour emergency room shift, my eyes started to sting with what felt like fire tears.
They hurt so badly that I pulled over to the side of the road. I hate to touch my eyes after working around patients' bodily fluids, but because my tears burned like acid, I wiped them away using the shirt underneath my scrubs. I'm classy like that.
My eyes stopped watering. The pain eased off. I blinked and signaled before merging back into my lane.
After every long shift, this became my own little ritual: involuntary and painful crying for a few seconds, about 10 minutes into my drive home.
I casually asked an ophthalmologist, Have you ever heard of your own tears hurting you?
No,
he said. Never.
Oh.
Painful crying didn't happen after every shift, only my 12-hour ones. It seemed worse if I didn't drink enough water while I worked. And my car's air filter system, blowing hot or cold air in my face, felt like torture.
Hesitantly, I told my own ophthalmologist, Dr. Christine Suess, I think I have dry eyes.
To my surprise, she lit up. This is one of her passions.
Why the heck would our eyes dry out?
Either you're not making enough tears, or your tears evaporate too fast.
Dr. Suess took a look at my eyes with the slit lamp and said, The average tear lasts 10 seconds. Yours last 3.
Huh. One example where fast does not equal good. Darn it.
You need tears to moisten the cornea, which is like the windshield of your eye, the front, clear part of it. And you can get tears through two different ways:
1. Slow, steady tears through basic tear secretion.
2. Emergency waterworks because you're so happy you got a new kitten or because your eye is trying to flush a piece of metal that got stuck to your cornea. These are called reflex tears.
Basically, my eyes