Eye care professionals in Toronto are warning of a dramatic increase of dry eye patients and digital screens may be driving the numbers.

“I’ve been practicing for about 18 years and over the last five to seven years, we’ve been seeing a massive increase, not just in the amount of dry eye patients that we’re seeing, but the age of the patients that we’re seeing,” said Liberty Village optometrist Dr. Ritesh Patel

His youngest dry eye patient, just eight years old.

According to Patel, where the condition would have earlier affected about 30 to 40 per cent of the general population and mostly women, he now estimates it’s up to 50 to 60 per cent.

“The thing that stands out the most is technology. The way our eyes work is, simply put, blinking allows your upper and lower lids to interact with each other, release oil, which keeps your eyes moist much like a windshield wiper,” said Dr. Patel. “But what we’re seeing now — staring at phones or their computers and with kids doing that much earlier in life, that blinking mechanism is just getting less and less.”

Dr. Lunksy, who practices near Bathurst and College streets, agrees, adding that it could get particularly bad in the winter months. 

“When it gets really cold, people turn up the heat and in older buildings like this one, you tend to see that result in their eyes getting really dry,” said Dr. Lunsky.

Food sensitivities and what’s referred to as “eye hygiene” can also contribute to the condition and it can be an extremely painful.

Dr. Patel said the feeling of grittiness or what may feel like sand in the eyes can also take an emotional and mental toll.

The good news is that there are medical interventions, including heat and laser treatments, that can be effective. But the best measures are always preventative ones.

“Even when you’re showering or washing your face, take the heel of your hand, gently massage your eyelids, it helps the glands keep moving. Certainly giving yourself time away from the computer or away from your phone. Every 20 minutes, give your eyes a 20 second break, look 20 feet away, relax your eyes, get back into your natural blinking pattern.”

Dr. Patel said some first-line home remedies for dry eyes include a warm compress, preservative free eye drops and a humidifier if you can afford one. If the issue is chronic, you are advised to see your eye care professional.