View from the High Street: Dry eyes on the rise

June on our high street has finally seen some proper summer weather, with what is reported to have been the hottest prolonged spell of weather since the drought of 1976. It makes me smile how the British are never happy with the weather. Despite our practice being fully air conditioned the subject of conversation has repeatedly been about it being ‘far too hot’ and I cannot get over how many of our patients think they are being helpful by opening the windows upstairs in the fully air-conditioned waiting area.

This hot spell seems to have increased the number of patients we are getting into practice reporting problems with dry eyes. Discussion in practice this month among colleagues has centred around how common dry eyes are and is it a new condition? We certainly seem to see a lot more patients nowadays suffering from this condition, particularly during the hotter spells of weather. The majority of people with sore eyes entering the practice at this time of year seem to be either hayfever sufferers or those suffering with dry eyes, with a few not falling into either category and being a bit more challenging.