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This summer I became painfully aware of the problems that forest fire smoke presents for sufferers of dry eye. My husband and I went on a 3 day Vintage Car Tour in southern Alberta. At the time there were a lot of forest fires burning in BC but none real close to where we were. There was some smoke in the air but not really bad. At the end of day one my eyes were sore, quite sore even though I wear my moisture chamber glasses always when outside. In the morning they felt much better so I took off in the car but by the time I hit coffee break I knew that I couldn't go any further so opted to drive the trouble truck which would put me inside with air conditioning and no wind in my face. By the end of that day my eyes were so sore and red and burning and NOTHING would relieve it that I told my husband that we had to go home I wanted to see a Dr because I thought they were getting infected. My doc agreed that possibly something was brewing even though I had no discharge and I started on an antibiotic and steroids but miraculously they got better by the next day.
I then started to analyze what had happened that was different and what could have triggered it. The only thing different from other tours was the smoke haze so I researched and this is what I found.
Exposure to smoke on any level can cause irritation to your eyes—symptoms such as burning sensations, redness, and tearing up are commonplace with exposure to smoke. Robert N. Weinreb MD, a distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California San Diego, claims that “even a healthy person’s eyes can be bothered” when it comes to smoke exposure and, particularly in the case of those with dry eye syndrome, “exacerbate symptoms.”
What causes this irritation is the existence of small particles, which are two and one half microns or less in size (for reference: 25,400 microns = 1 inch), within the smoke that get stuck in your eyes. These particles are too small to be seen with the naked eye. These particles can remain floating in the air long after the smoke has cleared, so if you are around fire or a place where large amounts of fire have been recently, many firefighters recommend the use of protective eyewear.
As it turns out, when the tear film is compromised the particles stick to the dry eyeball and with inadequate tears to wash them off they burn just like if you get a good dose of campfire smoke.....add that to an already compromised eye...DYNAMITE!!!
I am sure this could trigger an 'ah-ha' moment for some of you....F/G
I then started to analyze what had happened that was different and what could have triggered it. The only thing different from other tours was the smoke haze so I researched and this is what I found.
Exposure to smoke on any level can cause irritation to your eyes—symptoms such as burning sensations, redness, and tearing up are commonplace with exposure to smoke. Robert N. Weinreb MD, a distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of California San Diego, claims that “even a healthy person’s eyes can be bothered” when it comes to smoke exposure and, particularly in the case of those with dry eye syndrome, “exacerbate symptoms.”
What causes this irritation is the existence of small particles, which are two and one half microns or less in size (for reference: 25,400 microns = 1 inch), within the smoke that get stuck in your eyes. These particles are too small to be seen with the naked eye. These particles can remain floating in the air long after the smoke has cleared, so if you are around fire or a place where large amounts of fire have been recently, many firefighters recommend the use of protective eyewear.
As it turns out, when the tear film is compromised the particles stick to the dry eyeball and with inadequate tears to wash them off they burn just like if you get a good dose of campfire smoke.....add that to an already compromised eye...DYNAMITE!!!
I am sure this could trigger an 'ah-ha' moment for some of you....F/G