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Dr. Sheri Rowen of Mercy Medical Center

Dr. Sheri Rowen, Director, Eye & Cosmetic Surgery Center At Mercy, Discusses Dry Eye Prevention & Treatment

WBAL TV 11 News anchor Mindy Basara is a busy mother of two who gets up every weekday morning at 3 a.m. to come to work. Starting last fall, her eyes weren't feeling great.

"My eyes were burning. Not a regular burn -- they just felt so tired. I thought, 'Well, it's just getting up at 3 a.m. and driving.' It's like I can't see. It was affecting my vision," she said.

Basara said she's never worn glasses but thought they would definitely be in her future.

"By the end of the day, I'd have a headache and just a terrible strain on my eyes," she said.

Basara went to see Mercy Medical Center ophthalmologist and eye surgeon Dr. Sheri Rowen, who took a close-up look at what was going on in her eyes. She said the green stain from drops she put in explained the problem.

"Those little green dots ... show cells are dried out or dead. There's dryness," Rowen said.

She said she sees dry eye conditions much more often these days in her practice.

"It's environment, it's diet, it's dehumidification with heat and AC. It's the most I've ever seen it," Dr. Rowen said.

Dry eyes, or ocular surface disease, can be from dysfunctional tear syndrome or a lid problem. Tears are made up of fluids, lipids (fat) that keep the fluid from evaporating and mucous, and they're all important.

"The tear film is three-layers, and each of those layers has to be intact for us to have good tears," Dr. Rowen said.

Doctors have to figure out if the tears are evaporating or if there is a tear deficiency.

"So, even if someone has dry eyes, they may be tearing all day long as a reflex," Dr. Rowen said.

Symptoms include having to blink the eyes often to see clearly, a feeling of dry or sandy eyes, eye fatigue, burning or itching.

It's a problem that needs to be fixed, and if it's not, the cornea or the eyelid can be scarred permanently.

Those with dry eyes can use simple solutions, including using a variety of medications like artificial tears and anti-inflammatories such as the prescription drug Restasis. According to Dr. Rowen, her first line of treatment is omega 3 fatty acids.

"They take the omega 3s and they stop the top of the inflammation chain. The oils help the inflammation in the whole body," she said.

Basara has been on several medications and omega 3s for a couple of months.

"Before, I would go on the air -- and reading the prompter, as you know, can be a real strain on the eyes to begin with -- but I was really miserable," she said.

Now, she said she feels much better all around.

To see Dr. Sheri Rowen's interview with WBAL-TV11, click this link here: http://www.wbaltv.com/health/23477369/detail.html