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What is dry eye and what causes it?
Like the name suggests – dry eye is a condition where the eye does not produce sufficient quality tears. This causes a lack of hydration and lubrication for the corneal surface of the eye, often resulting in irritation and at times blurry vision.
There are two major types of dry eyes:
- Too few tears: Tear production diminishes with age, medical conditions, or as side effects of certain medicines.
- Poor quality tears: Tears consist of oil, water, and mucus. Each component has a different role: oil prevents evaporation of the water layer; mucus helps spread tears evenly, and water helps protect and nourish the eye. The most common form of dry eyes occurs with an inadequate water layer of tears1.This causes tears to evaporate too quickly from the surface.
Dry eyes can be caused by environmental conditions such as wind, dry climate, air conditioning, heating, long distance travel or even excessive use of screens like TV, phones and computers. Certain medications like antihistamines, natural ageing, and menopause also can cause eye dryness. Wearing contact lenses for long periods also causes dry eyes.
Choosing the right eye drops for dry eyes
Upon realising that your dry or itchy eyes require hydration, you head down to your local pharmacist or online shop to look for something that could help. There you are likely to find yourself overwhelmed with the sheer number and types of eye drops available.
To help navigate that potentially tricky situation, here’s an Eye Drops 101 guide:
FUNCTION: Many over-the-counter eye drops help replenish and lubricate the corneal surface by mimicking the effect of tears and are known as artificial tears.
INGREDIENTS: Active ingredients may vary; common ones include hyaluronic acid, hypromellose, sodium, dexpanthenol, or carbomer. It is also important to know that for many ingredients like hyaluronic acid, there are vast differences in quality and price. More expensive drops typically contain a higher quality active ingredient which results in a more soothing experience.
PRESERVATIVES: Some eye drops are available without preservatives; these are great if you use drops several times a day or are sensitive to preservatives. However, they also tend to be more expensive and have a more limited shelf life to avoid contamination.
CONSISTENCY: Eye drops also come with different levels of viscosity or thickness, from very liquid water-like drops to gels. Depending on the severity of dryness and your individual preference one may be more comfortable for you. As a general rule, the thicker the liquid the longer it will provide relief.
CONTACT LENSES: Not all eye drops can be used with contact lenses. Some eye drops require lenses to be removed; some are suitable only with hard contact lenses, while some are suitable for all contact lenses.
BOTTLE TYPES: Eye drops are also available in different formats – single dose, detachable units or multi-dose bottles. Certain bottles also come with special bottle caps that prevent contamination by preventing inward flow of external elements.
Eye drops manufactured in Europe
Ophthalmological products like eye drops must be manufactured in sterile and well-controlled facilities. AGEPHA Pharma manufactures all products with care and our five ophthalmological products for dry eyes – gels and eye drops – are all made in Europe.
Find an AGEPHA product for your dry eyes:
Consistency
Eye gel
Eye gel
Eye drops
Thicker eye drops
Eye drops
Key Ingredient
Dexpanthenol and Carbomer
Carbomer
Hypromellose
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid
Bottle type
Multi-dose Tube
Multi-dose Tube
Classic Multi-dose dropper
Multi-dose filter dropper
Single unit doses
With Preservatives
Yes
Yes
Yes
No preservatives
No preservatives
Contact Lens Suitability
Suitable for hard lenses
Suitable for hard lenses
Suitable for hard lenses
Suitable for all lenses
Suitable for all lenses
Sources:
What is dry eye and what causes it?
Like the name suggests – dry eye is a condition where the eye does not produce sufficient quality tears. This causes a lack of hydration and lubrication for the corneal surface of the eye, often resulting in irritation and at times blurry vision.
There are two major types of dry eyes:
- Too few tears: Tear production diminishes with age, medical conditions, or as side effects of certain medicines.
- Poor quality tears: Tears consist of oil, water, and mucus. Each component has a different role: oil prevents evaporation of the water layer; mucus helps spread tears evenly, and water helps protect and nourish the eye. The most common form of dry eyes occurs with an inadequate water layer of tears1.This causes tears to evaporate too quickly from the surface.
Dry eyes can be caused by environmental conditions such as wind, dry climate, air conditioning, heating, long distance travel or even excessive use of screens like TV, phones and computers. Certain medications like antihistamines, natural ageing, and menopause also can cause eye dryness. Wearing contact lenses for long periods also causes dry eyes.
Choosing the right eye drops for dry eyes
Upon realising that your dry or itchy eyes require hydration, you head down to your local pharmacist or online shop to look for something that could help. There you are likely to find yourself overwhelmed with the sheer number and types of eye drops available.
To help navigate that potentially tricky situation, here’s an Eye Drops 101 guide:
FUNCTION: Many over-the-counter eye drops help replenish and lubricate the corneal surface by mimicking the effect of tears and are known as artificial tears.
INGREDIENTS: Active ingredients may vary; common ones include hyaluronic acid, hypromellose, sodium, dexpanthenol, or carbomer. It is also important to know that for many ingredients like hyaluronic acid, there are vast differences in quality and price. More expensive drops typically contain a higher quality active ingredient which results in a more soothing experience.
PRESERVATIVES: Some eye drops are available without preservatives; these are great if you use drops several times a day or are sensitive to preservatives. However, they also tend to be more expensive and have a more limited shelf life to avoid contamination.
CONSISTENCY: Eye drops also come with different levels of viscosity or thickness, from very liquid water-like drops to gels. Depending on the severity of dryness and your individual preference one may be more comfortable for you. As a general rule, the thicker the liquid the longer it will provide relief.
CONTACT LENSES: Not all eye drops can be used with contact lenses. Some eye drops require lenses to be removed; some are suitable only with hard contact lenses, while some are suitable for all contact lenses.
BOTTLE TYPES: Eye drops are also available in different formats – single dose, detachable units or multi-dose bottles. Certain bottles also come with special bottle caps that prevent contamination by preventing inward flow of external elements.
Eye drops manufactured in Europe
Ophthalmological products like eye drops must be manufactured in sterile and well-controlled facilities. AGEPHA Pharma manufactures all products with care and our five ophthalmological products for dry eyes – gels and eye drops – are all made in Europe.
Find an AGEPHA product for your dry eyes:
Consistency
Eye gel
Eye gel
Eye drops
Thicker eye drops
Eye drops
Key Ingredient
Dexpanthenol and Carbomer
Carbomer
Hypromellose
Hyaluronic acid
Hyaluronic acid
Bottle type
Multi-dose Tube
Multi-dose Tube
Classic Multi-dose dropper
Multi-dose filter dropper
Single unit doses
With Preservatives
Yes
Yes
Yes
No preservatives
No preservatives
Contact Lens Suitability
Suitable for hard lenses
Suitable for hard lenses
Suitable for hard lenses
Suitable for all lenses
Suitable for all lenses
Sources:
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What is AMD?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that is the leading cause of permanent vision loss for people above the age of 60.
AMD occurs when the central portion of the retina, called the macula, wears down.
The macula is the light-sensing nerve tissue in the eye.1 There are two main types of age-related macular degeneration:
- Dry form (geographic atrophy): Usually caused by thinning of the macula leading to dim or distorted vision, particularly while reading. Note: Supplementation only helps with dry form AMD.
- Wet form (neovascular AMD): Generally caused by abnormal blood vessels that leak fluid or blood into the macula that could lead to scars and permanent loss of central vision.2
Most cases of AMD are dry form, but dry form can also lead to the wet form.
What are the major symptoms of AMD?
In general, symptoms of AMD include visual distortions, blurry or blind spots in field of vision and general haziness in overall vision.
Practically, individuals suffering from the onset of AMD may experience difficulty while driving or reading and find it more difficult to adapt to low-light conditions such as a dimly lit restaurant.
AMD often remains undetected until an advanced stage because the brain compensates for blind spots in the vision, so individuals do not realize that they cannot see clearly or are losing vision.
This also remains a reason why AMD remains so dangerous: it can only be diagnosed by a doctor and if it is too late, the nerve endings may not be able to be restored to regenerate vision.
Visit an ophthalmologist at the earliest if you notice changes in your central vision or your ability to see colours and fine details reduces – particularly if you are above 50.
What is the prevalence of AMD?
Age-related macular degeneration affects over 11 million people in the United States and 34 million people in Europe. It is estimated that by 2050, over 77 million Europeans will be affected by AMD. 3, 4, 5
How can AMD be cured?
While AMD cannot be cured, treatment can help slow down its onset or prevent serious loss of vision. Research has also found that individuals with dry AMD could slow down the disease by taking supplements of vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, and copper.
Help Prevent AMD with Macusan
AGEPHA Pharma has the only multi-phase treatment for AMD prevention - targeted at patients in each different stages of AMD - with a series of three oral supplements that help maintain healthy lutein levels and reduce the chances of being affected by AMD.
Macusan tablets are nutritional supplements for the eyes which consist of multivitamins that increase retinal blood circulation including vitamin C, vitamin E, folic acid, zinc, copper, selenium, lutein, zeaxanthin, ginkgo biloba, and omega-3.6
Macusan, Macusan Plus, and Macusan AREDS2 are ideal for all AMD patients at any stage of progression to help maintain essential levels of nutrients
Sources:
What is AMD?
Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is an eye disease that is the leading cause of permanent vision loss for people above the age of 60.
AMD occurs when the central portion of the retina, called the macula, wears down.
The macula is the light-sensing nerve tissue in the eye.1 There are two main types of age-related macular degeneration:
- Dry form (geographic atrophy): Usually caused by thinning of the macula leading to dim or distorted vision, particularly while reading. Note: Supplementation only helps with dry form AMD.
- Wet form (neovascular AMD): Generally caused by abnormal blood vessels that leak fluid or blood into the macula that could lead to scars and permanent loss of central vision.2
Most cases of AMD are dry form, but dry form can also lead to the wet form.
What are the major symptoms of AMD?
In general, symptoms of AMD include visual distortions, blurry or blind spots in field of vision and general haziness in overall vision.
Practically, individuals suffering from the onset of AMD may experience difficulty while driving or reading and find it more difficult to adapt to low-light conditions such as a dimly lit restaurant.
AMD often remains undetected until an advanced stage because the brain compensates for blind spots in the vision, so individuals do not realize that they cannot see clearly or are losing vision.
This also remains a reason why AMD remains so dangerous: it can only be diagnosed by a doctor and if it is too late, the nerve endings may not be able to be restored to regenerate vision.
Visit an ophthalmologist at the earliest if you notice changes in your central vision or your ability to see colours and fine details reduces – particularly if you are above 50.
What is the prevalence of AMD?
Age-related macular degeneration affects over 11 million people in the United States and 34 million people in Europe. It is estimated that by 2050, over 77 million Europeans will be affected by AMD. 3, 4, 5
How can AMD be cured?
While AMD cannot be cured, treatment can help slow down its onset or prevent serious loss of vision. Research has also found that individuals with dry AMD could slow down the disease by taking supplements of vitamin C, vitamin E, lutein, zeaxanthin, zinc, and copper.
Help Prevent AMD with Macusan
AGEPHA Pharma has the only multi-phase treatment for AMD prevention - targeted at patients in each different stages of AMD - with a series of three oral supplements that help maintain healthy lutein levels and reduce the chances of being affected by AMD.
Macusan tablets are nutritional supplements for the eyes which consist of multivitamins that increase retinal blood circulation including vitamin C, vitamin E, folic acid, zinc, copper, selenium, lutein, zeaxanthin, ginkgo biloba, and omega-3.6
Macusan, Macusan Plus, and Macusan AREDS2 are ideal for all AMD patients at any stage of progression to help maintain essential levels of nutrients
Sources:
