June 6th is the 29th National Eye Care Day, and this year's theme is "Pay attention to universal eye health". Recently, the reporter interviewed Liu Hong'an, Deputy Director of the Dry Eye Diagnosis and Treatment Center of the Fourth People's Hospital of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province, on the symptoms of common and frequently occurring dry eye diseases in ophthalmology, as well as how to effectively prevent and treat them. "Patients with dry eye syndrome usually have symptoms of eye soreness and pain, which cannot be sustained when viewed closely. In severe cases, they may also experience headaches and nausea." Liu Hong'an stated that patients with dry eye syndrome have a thin or missing oil film in their eyes, causing tears to stay in the eyes for a short time and easily evaporate, resulting in dry eyes. "At this point, the lacrimal gland stimulates the secretion of more tears, so dry eye patients often cry instead." "Recently, I saw a patient who needed to work on a computer for a long time. She reported that she could only watch electronic products continuously for about 5 minutes, and her eyes would ache, tear, and blurred vision if she exceeded the time limit." Liu Hong'an said that among the patients he treated, the majority of them had dry eye syndrome caused by excessive exposure to electronic products. Besides long-term use of electronic devices, factors such as anxiety and depression, insufficient rest and sleep, and changes in hormone secretion levels due to age can all trigger dry eye syndrome. In addition to multiple triggers, the age range of onset for dry eye syndrome is quite wide. "It can occur at any age, especially among those who have undergone surgeries for myopia, cataracts, glaucoma, etc., those who wear contact lenses or corneal reshaping lenses for a long time, and those who are exposed to dry environments for a long time," Liu Hong'an said. According to the Consensus of Chinese Dry Eye Experts: Definition and Classification (2020), the incidence rate of dry eye disease among Chinese residents is about 21% -30%, and dry eye disease has become the second largest eye disease after myopia. So how can we effectively prevent and treat dry eye syndrome? Firstly, it is recommended to reduce the duration of non essential close eye contact. If prolonged eye contact is necessary, the "20:20:20" eye contact rule can be adopted, which means that for every 20 minutes of close eye contact, look at a distance of 20 feet (about 6 meters) or more for at least 20 seconds to relax the eyes. In addition, blink training and hot compress can also effectively alleviate fatigue around the eyes and eye area Liu Hong'an said. For patients who have been diagnosed with dry eye syndrome, Liu Hong'an suggests regularly going to the hospital for eye examinations and treatment. "The use of commonly seen artificial tears and other eye drops on the market can alleviate discomfort caused by dry eye syndrome to a certain extent, but the treatment effect of these drugs is limited, and patients should avoid frequent use. Doctors will use different methods such as cleaning the eyelid margin, unblocking the meibomian gland, and strong pulse laser for treatment according to the degree of illness of patients." (Xinhua News Agency)