Lubricating the Eye

One of the most interesting things that a Miami optometrist learns about while going to school is the different layers of tears that keep the eyes lubricated. Some people think that the tears which keep their eyes lubricated consist of the same chemical makeup all the way through, but this isn’t true. There are actually three layers of tears that are on everybody’s eyes. They all work together to form a protective barrier for the eyes that prevents infections from happening and also keeps foreign objects out as best as possible. Your Miami Beach eye doctor can elaborate more on each layer of your tears and what exactly each one does.

Different Lubricating Layers of Tears

The three layers of tears eye doctors in Miami often explain to their patients are the oil, water, and mucin layer. Each of these layers are crucial to the overall health of a person’s eyes.

• The oil, or lipid, layer of the eyes is the one that is outermost from the eyeball. It consists primarily of oils that are supposed to seal the tears onto the eyes and prevent them from evaporating too quickly.

• The water, or aqueous, layer of the eyes is the middle layer of the tears that consists mainly of water. This layer’s job is to lubricate the eyes and prevent infections from happening.

• The mucin layer of the eyes is the one that’s closest to the eyeball. This layer of the eye is what allows the middle layer to be spread evenly over the eye’s surface. It nourishes the cornea, and it also helps tears stick to the surface of the eyeball.

Why Some People Have Dry Eye Problems

There are instances where people improperly develop tears that can cause problems for them over time. If someone’s tears are not produced correctly, they may evaporate too quickly, which can lead to chronic dry eye. Chronic dry eye is a problem that many people deal with for one reason or another, and it’s very uncomfortable and may lead to frequent infections; an eye doctor in Miami sees patients with this condition on a frequent basis. Some people with this problem simply need to wear sunglasses or their prescription glasses, which helps to prevent wind from blowing on their eyes too often. Wind is one of the main reasons people’s eyes dry out too quickly.

photo credit: Iguanasan Heather’s Eye via photopin (license)