What is the link between surgery and dry eyes?
Dry eye can be one of the most common complaints following eye surgeries for cataracts, glaucoma, vision correction (e.g., LASIK, LASEK), etc. [1, 2]
Even in healthy patients with no history of dry eye symptoms, surgical procedures have been found to induce dry eye symptoms.
A healthy tear film plays a crucial role in the healing process
When your tear film is healthy, it protects the cornea, maintains eye comfort and high-quality vision, and promotes wound healing after injury.
​​
In dry eyes, the unhealthy tear film may cause irritation, blurred vision, and suboptimal healing.
Dry eye treatment before surgery may be very important
​Modern-day surgery guidelines suggest checking the health of the tear film and treating any signs of dry eye before surgery. [3, 4]
Untreated dry eye symptoms may affect the recovery and outcome of surgical interventions. [5]
Consult your eye health professional for a thorough assessment of your eyes before surgery!
Post-surgery management of dry eye is as important. Make sure to seek professional advice for proper treatment and management of your symptoms.
Staying on the safe side
As with any injury, an eye surgery wound should be protected and treated only with safe and optimal components.
​
For this reason, modern-day eye lubricants are preservative free and phosphate free to avoid any complications.
Preservative Free
Preservatives can damage the cells of the eye surface, destroy the natural tear film, and be the cause of intolerance reactions.
Phosphate Free
Phosphates buffers can form insoluble crystals due to the reaction with calcium (which is released from damaged cells of the eye surface). These crystals can impair your vision.
Citrate vs. Phosphate
A safe and beneficial alternative to phosphate buffers is a citrate-buffered system. Citrate, as opposed to phosphate, does NOT form insoluble crystals while still maintaining a tolerable pH level.
Apart from avoiding unwanted complications,
citrate buffers have been shown to have a positive effect on wound healing.
Post-surgery indication from Health Canada
HYLO® and HYLO GEL® are the only preservative-free, phosphate-free, citrate-buffered lubricating eye drops (artificial tears) that are backed-up with clinical evidence and safety data for treatment after ocular surgeries such as cataract, LASIK and keratoplasty.
​
Make sure to discuss with your eye health professional before using HYLO® treatments post-surgery.
References: 1. Cetinkaya S, Mestan E, Acir NO, Cetinkaya YF, Dadaci Z, Yener HI. The course of dry eye after phacoemulsification surgery. BMC Ophthalmol 2015;15:68. 2. Ahn Ji Min, Lee Seung Hyun, Rim Tyler Hyung Taek, Park Ryoung Jin, Yang Hong Seok, Kim Tae im, et al. Prevalence of and risk factors associated with dry eye: the Korea national health and nutrition examination survey 2010e2011. Am J Ophthalmol 2014;158(6):1205e14. 3. Akpek EK, Amescua G, Farid M, Garcia-Ferrer FJ, Lin A, Rhee MK, Varu DM, Musch DC, Dunn SP, Mah FS; American Academy of Ophthalmology Preferred Practice Pattern Cornea and External Disease Panel. Dry Eye Syndrome Preferred Practice Pattern®. Ophthalmology. 2019 Jan;126(1):P286-P334. doi: 10.1016/j.ophtha.2018.10.023. Epub 2018 Oct 23. PMID: 30366798. 4. Starr CE, Gupta PK, Farid M, Beckman KA, Chan CC, Yeu E, Gomes JAP, Ayers BD, Berdahl JP, Holland EJ, Kim T, Mah FS; ASCRS Cornea Clinical Committee. An algorithm for the preoperative diagnosis and treatment of ocular surface disorders. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2019 May;45(5):669-684. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrs.2019.03.023. PMID: 31030780. 5. Chuang J, Shih KC, Chan TC, Wan KH, Jhanji V, Tong L. Preoperative optimization of ocular surface disease before cataract surgery. J Cataract Refract Surg. 2017 Dec;43(12):1596-1607. doi: 10.1016/j.jcrs.2017.10.033. PMID: 29335106.