{"id":1494,"date":"2019-07-16T00:41:26","date_gmt":"2019-07-15T19:11:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/?post_type=glossary&#038;p=1494"},"modified":"2022-08-04T17:23:51","modified_gmt":"2022-08-04T11:53:51","slug":"xerosis-xeropthalmia","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/krishnaeyecenter\/knowledge-centre\/xerosis-xeropthalmia\/","title":{"rendered":"Xerosis or Xeropthalmia"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1 class=\"for-global-h1\">Xerosis or Xeropthalmia<\/h1>\n<h3>Definition<\/h3>\n<p>Xerosis is a complex condition characterized by <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/knowledge-centre\/dry-eyes-treatment-in-mumbai\/\">abnormal dryness<\/a><\/strong> of the conjunctiva and or the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/service\/cornea-transplant-in-mumbai\/\">cornea<\/a><\/strong> (of the eye), the skin, or mucous membranes. More specifically, when dryness affects the conjunctiva of the eye, it is known as conjunctival xerosis.<\/p>\n<h3>Causes of Xerosis<\/h3>\n<p>It is actually a group of signs that show the damage of corneal and conjunctival epithelium due to reduction in the quality and\/or quantity of lacrimal fluid. Lacrimal fluid is required for the formation of tear film that serves most important functions of vision and protection of eye. Any abnormality of tear film or lacrimal fluid can cause serious damage to the eye.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Hypo secretive causes that cause\u00a0<\/span>reduction in the production of tears\n<ul>\n<li>Deficiency of tears or conjunctival secretions<\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Sjogren\u2019s syndrome<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Age-related<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Hormonal imbalance<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Certain drugs like anti-histamines<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Vitamin A deficiency<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Infiltrative process (e.g. lymphoma)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Neurological lesions (e.g. Riley-Day syndrome)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Absence \/ abnormality of lacrimal gland \/ ductules<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Eye trauma<\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Idiopathic<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Evaporative causes<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Deficiency of oily component of tear film<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Defective corneal resurfacing (e.g. lid malposition)<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Decreased Blinking disorders<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Excessive wearing of contact lens<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Symptoms of Xerosis<\/h3>\n<p>The symptoms of xerosis\u00a0<span lang=\"en-US\">get aggravated by air conditioning, prolonged reading or computer work, dry air etc.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Feeling of a foreign body in the eye<\/li>\n<li>Excessive watering from eye<\/li>\n<li>Feeling of dryness in eye<\/li>\n<li>Burning and \u201csandpaper\u201d in the eyes, especially due to wind, smoke, conditioned air, fan heaters etc.<\/li>\n<li>Photophobia or sensitivity to light<\/li>\n<li>Decreased vision towards evening<\/li>\n<li>Fluctuations in visual acuity within one working day<\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Stringy mucus discharge<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Blurring of vision<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Presence of s<\/span>mall triangular white patches on the outer rim of cornea (Bitot\u2019s spot)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Diagnosis of Xerosis<\/h3>\n<p>Diagnosis of xerosis is typical and requires thorough examination of the eye including a visual acuity test to check the sharpness of vision and a visual field test to check the sight on the peripheral (side) areas of vision. The examination of pupil of the eye is done by dilating it with eye drops and then checking eyes with an instrument called an ophthalmoscope to evaluate the health of the <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/service\/retina\/\">retina<\/a><\/strong> and optic nerve. In addition to these, special dyes might be used in the eyes to reveal dry spots and corneal damage. Other tests required to confirm the diagnosis of xerosis include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Schirmer\u2019s test<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Tear break-up test<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Tear Lysoszyme ratio<\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Rose Bengal staining<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Treatment &amp; Drugs for Xerosis<\/h3>\n<p>Treatment of xerosis typically depends upon the disease severity and its cause.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In cases where the cause of xerosis gets evaluated, treatment of the cause makes the first line of therapy.<\/li>\n<li>Light degree of the disease can also be managed with artificial tear drops, ointments and\/or gels.<\/li>\n<li>Anti-inflammatory therapy is also recommended to provide symptomatic relief to the patient.<\/li>\n<li>Topical corticosteroids<\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Therapeutic contact lens is used to protect eye membrane.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Punctual occlusion by lacrimal silicone plugs or cauterization to delay the tear drainage.<\/span><\/li>\n<li>\n<p align=\"justify\">Lateral tarsorrhaphy for the eyelid can also be done to reduce evaporation of tears<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Transplantation of the parotid duct into the conjunctiva sac may be tried in severe cases.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Bitot spots may be scraped with a sharp spoon and painted with carbonic acid.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Complications of Xerosis<\/h3>\n<p><span lang=\"en-US\">Xerosis is definitely not a minor condition that can be ignored. It needs to be treated properly to avoid any <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/service\/vision-therapy-in-mumbai\/\">damage to the vision<\/a><\/strong> and other parts of the eye. If not treated, xerosis can lead to:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Eye infections e.g. conjunctivitis<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Corneal complications like infection, ulceration and rarely, perforation<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Decreased visual acuity<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span lang=\"en-US\">Blindness<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Xerosis or Xeropthalmia Definition Xerosis is a complex condition characterized by abnormal dryness of the conjunctiva and or the cornea (of the eye), the skin, or mucous membranes. More specifically, when dryness affects the conjunctiva of the eye, it is known as conjunctival xerosis. Causes of Xerosis It is actually a group of signs that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","glossary-cat":[68],"class_list":["post-1494","glossary","type-glossary","status-publish","hentry","glossary-cat-eye-problems"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/krishnaeyecenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/1494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/krishnaeyecenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/krishnaeyecenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/glossary"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/krishnaeyecenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/krishnaeyecenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/1494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3192,"href":"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/krishnaeyecenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary\/1494\/revisions\/3192"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/krishnaeyecenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"glossary-cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krishnaeyecentre.com\/krishnaeyecenter\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/glossary-cat?post=1494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}