Dry eyes? Here is what to know - Ervolino

The eyes have it.

My eyes, that is.

I’ve never been the town crier. But in the last two years, my manly, tough-guy cheeks have been wetter than a Lesley Gore album.

Remember Lesley, that cute little girl from Tenafly with the great big voice?

On her debut album, Ms. Gore (nee Lesley Sue Goldstein) sang “No More Tears,” “Just Let Me Cry,” “Cry Me a River,” “Judy’s Turn To Cry,” “Cry and You Cry Alone,” “It’s My Party (And I’ll Cry If I Want To)” and, of course, “Cry.”

Her never-ending problem — at least in the recording studio — was love.

My problem, which had nothing to do with love, kinda snuck up on me.

I wasn’t watching a sad movie or going through a painful breakup. No one had hurt my feelings. I wasn’t depressed, exhausted, stressed or riddled with anxiety.

I had no reason to cry. So I just kind of ignored the whole thing.

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But then, one dark, rainy night, I was driving home from somewhere and my vision was so blurry, I had to pull off the road and break out the Kleenex.

What’s going on here?

I know a lot of folks skip their eye exams for a variety of reasons. (Chief among them is the easy availability of affordable drugstore “cheaters.”)

My advice: Don’t do that.

From his 60s on, my father struggled with macular degeneration, which left him legally blind. Eventually, my mother developed the same illness. So, naturally, I take my annual checkups seriously.

And that is why, last year, I drove to Hackensack to see Dr. Liva, who, for the last decade or so, has been caring for this wise guy’s eyes.

He gave me all the usual tests and seemed concerned when we came to the eye charts.

My vision had declined greatly from the year before.

“It’s not my vision, it’s the wetness,” I told him. “My eyes are wet constantly. They tear up when I’m watching TV, when I’m driving, when I’m at my computer. It’s crazy! They’re wet all the time!”

A few minutes later, I was diagnosed.

“You have dry eye,” he said. “It’s not uncommon in your age group.”

DRY EYE?

Who came up with that name?

This is pretty much how the human body works, though. When you don’t have enough acid in your stomach after a heavy meal, your body mass produces it and makes you feel worse.

Ditto for dry eyes. Your body overcompensates.

Other symptoms, according to the National Eye Institute, include a scratchy feeling in the eye, stinging or burning, redness and light sensitivity.

A few years ago, I had a procedure done to remove the large fatty deposits under my eyes. I can’t say whether or not this procedure caused my dry eye situation, but it developed shortly after the surgery.

Your doctor can detect dry eye through a dilated eye exam. Those most at risk for the condition are folks over 50, contact lens wearers and anyone with an autoimmune condition, such as lupus.

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Dry eye affects both sexes, but it is slightly more common in females. It’s also found in folks who don’t get enough Vitamin A or omega-3 fatty acids.

I was given a prescription at the time of the diagnosis. But when I called it in to the pharmacy, I was told that the cost was $599.

I wasn’t sure if the prescription was for pills or creams or …

“They’re eyedrops,” the pharmacy clerk told me.

Uh … $599 for eyedrops?

I told the clerk I have Medicare. And the AARP prescription plan. And GoodRX.

She told me she knew that. And that the cost to me was still going to be $599.

I put her on hold and called the doctor’s office to ask if these drops were a cure or a treatment.

“A treatment,” was the response.

Hmm …

Later that day, I took to my social media platforms and asked my friends for suggestions.

I had no idea how many people I knew with dry eye!

Most of them told me they were using the over-the-counter Systane drops. So I tried them, along with an OTC eye lubricant.

Both were helpful.

When I returned to see Dr. Liva two weeks ago, I told him what I was doing for my eyes.

“They’re better, somewhat,” I said, “although they’re often itchy now, too. I think that’s because I’m rubbing them so much.”

I received the standard doctor response to that statement: “Stop rubbing them.”

(It’s not like I want to keep rubbing them. But they’re itchy and wet.)

He also prescribed Ivizia drops and eye wipes. Both are also available OTC and highly recommended.

I shared all of my knowledge recently at a birthday party, but none of the other guests cared or even knew what I was talking about.

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Dry eyes treatment, symptoms to watch for - Ervolino