Dry mouth and eyes

Introduction to dry mouth and eyes

Most of the time when a person is experiencing the dry mouth and eye symptoms it will go away by itself, but when this does not happen, and the condition becomes persistent and chronic, that person must look to treat the underlying condition that is causing the problem.

The medical condition is called Sjorgen’s syndrome and it affects the salivary and tear glands.

The cause of the condition is not really known, but some believe that it is an autoimmune disorder in which the immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues.

It is usually seen in people about the age of 40, but generally, it can occur to people of any age. It is also more common in women.

Symptoms

The symptoms could not be more obvious. They include, of course, dryness of the eyes and mouth.

The eyes will have burning sensations, along with itching symptoms and there could be sudden blurred vision. There could also be problems swallowing, chewing and speaking when the mouth is dry.

Some patients will gave red eye, be very sensitive to light and suffer from eye fatigue.

Other people will feel a burning sensation on the tongue, problems tasting foods, and ulcerations of the tongue.

The problem occurs with the salivary glands that are located in between the jaws and the ears, which are known as parotid glands. They become enlarged and lead to dry skin, vaginal dryness in women, rashes, coughs, pain, swelling and stiffness of the joints and chronic fatigue.

The dryness of the mouth and eyes is sometimes a symptom of a condition such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. Treatment

The doctor will do a physical examination and look at the medical history of the patient before diagnosing the condition.

Then there will be blood tests to determine whether it is an autoimmune problem.

There are oral medicines that can be used to treat, and most of them work to increase saliva production, suppress the abnormal work of the immune system, and offer anti-inflammatory relief for swelling and joint pain.

People will also be advised to use artificial teardrops and other eye drops and lubricating ointments. Sometimes if the condition is very extreme, a doctor will recommend laser procedures for the eye in order to seal the tear ducts that are drained.

When a person has dry mouth they should try chewing on sugarless gum and spraying water in the mouth for relief.