Modern Family’s Julie Bowen gets real about chronic dry eye: What to know about the progressive condition

Itchy, red, irritated eyes could beryllium a grounds of galore things, but chronic adust oculus is simply a communal culprit.

Dry oculus is simply a information that occurs erstwhile the eyes bash not nutrient capable prime tears, starring to burning, stinging and general ocular discomfort, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Julie Bowen, champion known for her relation arsenic Claire Dunphy connected the sitcom "Modern Family," spoke with Fox News Digital successful an on-camera interrogation astir her caller diagnosis with the condition.

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While the histrion was connected acceptable for the caller comedic thriller "Hysteria!", she noticed that her contacts would adust retired owed to the "smoky" environment, she said.

Julie Bowen speaks onstage during Variety's Power of Women astatine Mother Wolf connected Oct. 24, 2024, successful Los Angeles, California.  (Michael Kovac/Variety via Getty Images)

During a interruption from shooting, Bowen went to sojourn her eye doctor, who told her she had adust eye, a progressive information that’s mostly caused by inflammation.

"You can’t conscionable bedewed the apical of your eyeball and dainty the inflammation, which is what I had been trying to bash [with eyedrops]," she said.

Bowen was prescribed an anti-inflammatory oculus drop, Xiidra, and utilized it arsenic prescribed doubly a time for astir 9 months.

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Although it wasn’t an contiguous fix, Bowen reported that implicit time, she was capable to support her interaction lenses successful "longer and longer."

"I’m capable to not consciousness my eyeballs," she said. "One of the oculus doctors I was moving with … told me, ‘You’re not expected to consciousness your eyeballs.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, right!’ If you consciousness your eyeballs, something’s wrong."

Bowen was diagnosed with adust eye, a progressive information that’s mostly caused by inflammation. (JC Olivera/Getty Images; iStock)

Causes of adust eye 

Dr. Derek Cunningham, manager of Dell Laser Consultants successful Austin, Texas, told Fox News Digital successful an interrogation that adust oculus comes successful "all antithetic forms."

Cunningham, who treats radical from each implicit the U.S. astatine Dell Laser’s dedicated adust oculus center, called adust oculus the "potentially astir prevalent disease" successful North America.

 "We beryllium astatine the machine each time without hydration, and that builds up inflammation implicit time."

Modern lifestyles, including predominant machine use, person driven an uptick successful adust oculus cases, arsenic the oculus is the "highest-friction country of the quality body," the doc said.

"You blink 10,000 times a day," helium went on. "The teardrop movie is bringing nutrients to your cornea."

"So, your tears are not conscionable a lubricant — they're really the lifeline of your cornea and the beforehand of your eye."

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As radical age, less tears are produced owed to hormonal changes, according to Cunningham – and women suffer from adust oculus much than men for this reason.

Young workers successful forced-air environments, similar offices, are astir astatine risk, helium noted.

Changes successful hormones and medicine tin worsen dryness, arsenic good arsenic inflammatory issues passim the assemblage similar associated symptom oregon tummy problems, the doc cautioned. (iStock)

"When you look astatine a machine screen, your blink complaint tin spell down to 2 to 4 times a minute; connected average, it’s expected to beryllium astir 20 to 40 times a minute," helium said. "We beryllium astatine the machine each time without hydration, and that builds up inflammation implicit time."

Typing connected a machine for a agelong play of clip is "literally similar sprinting for your eyes," the adept noted. 

Symptoms to ticker for

Dry oculus tin person antithetic symptoms based connected gender, ethnicity and different variables, but immoderate "hallmark" signs are accordant dryness, fluctuating imaginativeness and wide consciousness of your eyes passim the day, according to Cunningham.

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"You should not announcement that your eyes are successful your head," helium said. "And if you announcement they're there, that's astir commonly adust eye."

Recommended remedies

When treating adust eye, determination is "no 1 merchandise for everybody," said Cunningham.

Some options see anti-inflammatory oculus drops, tearduct plugs, aggravated pulsed airy therapy (IPL) and different laser treatments.

While artificial tears tin beryllium a "refreshing tool," prescription steroids and anti-inflammatory drops are needed to code the inflammation, Cunningham said.

Eyes weren't "built" to look astatine a machine surface for agelong periods of time, according to an expert. (iStock)

Skin is besides "intimately involved" successful adust eye, Cunningham noted, arsenic inflammation in the skin, oregon rosacea, tin person a nonstop correlation to the condition.

"We person to look much astatine the tegument successful your look successful bid to genuinely negociate adust eye," the doc said.

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Bowen encourages everyone to get regular oculus exams, peculiarly those with adust oculus symptoms. As the information is progressive and volition worsen with time, it's important to "get ahead" of it, she said.

"It’s not going to get amended if you’re not treating the inflammation," Bowen added.

Anti-inflammatory oculus drops are utilized to assistance halt the immune strategy from "shutting down teardrop production," which tin assistance with adust eye, according to experts. (iStock)

Making lifestyle changes — similar eating a well-rounded fare that includes anti-inflammatory foods and exercising regularly — tin besides help, Cunningham said.

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"A small spot of caffeine volition assistance adust eye, but a batch of caffeine makes it mode worse," the adept noted, portion drinking h2o doesn't look to person an impact.

Cunningham added, "Getting connected things aboriginal and stopping the progression is the key."