TheraLife: Anxiety and Depression Linked to Dry Eye Syndrome

Anxiety and Depression Linked to Dry Eye Syndrome

Anxiety can lead to a wide range of clinical symptoms, of which dry eye is one.

This blog is to encourage eye doctors to be aware that Dry Eye Disease has significant impact on people's quality of life.

Very often, we see people who has Chronic Dry Eye Syndrome who also has signs of depression and often on anti-depressants. Interviewing these patients often reveal that the constant pain, discomfort of dry eye symptoms is leading them to depression.

On the other hand, it has been well documented that patients who have a high level of anxiety and depression can lead to dry eyes due to bodily fluids being diverted away from the eyes to other organs.
Often this correlation between Dry Eye Syndrome causing depression and anxiety is being ignored, and yet it is an important factor in being able to treat Dry Eye Syndrome successfully.

Here is a new clinical study that documented the correlation between people with Dry Eye Syndrome developing depression and anxiety- Published in “Cornea” February 2012. at this link:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21174591

Wen, et al conclude: "DES is frequent in patients with depressive and anxiety disorders, especially patients who are older, have longer duration of psychiatric disorder, and use an SSRI. Psychiatric disorders and use of antidepressants should be considered in the differential diagnosis of DES
This study aimed to determine whether patients with dry eye syndrome [DES] have more symptoms of anxiety and depression than controls without DES".

This study also concluded that – Anxiety and depression are correlated with Dry Eye Syndrome (DES) . DES is an important public health problem that merits increased attention and research.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP?

1. Simple Daily Exercise-

Suggest to the patient to use short meditation measure to calm down- e.g. sitting in a quiet room with low light, feet planted on the ground, close eyes and start counting from one. Keep all distracting thoughts out of mind, focus only on counting. If interfering thoughts come into play, start counting from one again. Practice this every day until you can count numbers up to 10 minutes. The result is – after 10 minutes, the patient feels refreshed, less anxious.

2. Practice yoga – with or without an instructor.

3. Meditation- simply sit in a comfortable chair, place your feet on the ground, your hand in your lap, close your eyes and count your breath. Keep all thoughts out of your mind. Be present, be focused and be quiet. Count your breath to 12 without any thoughts coming to your mind. You can practice this anywhere.

HOW CAN THERALIFE HELP?

A. TheraLife Eye is formulated to increase micro-circulation and deliver more blood and nutrients to the eye – allowing the tear secretion glands to attain normal cell functions intracellularly. Depression and anxiety can be adverted once dry eye syndrome is under control.

B. TheraLife Fatigue- formulated to deliver more oxygen to the brain to void fatigue, stress, better sleep at night. The all natural choice without the use of stimulants like caffeine.

To learn more how TheraLife Eye works: click here

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To learn more about TheraLife Fatigue: click here.