Artificial Tears Are Good. Natural Tears Are Better

A tip o’ the hat to fellow optometrist and nation’s servant Lt. Col Hal who passed on this fine article, “The Vision Thing,” from Christianity Today.

Artificial tears are the workhorse of eye care. I’ll tell you what I tell my students and patients–when all else fails, lubricate, lubricate, lubricate. It’s really not a question of if you have dry eyes, but how dry are they and how much do they bother you? Our modern lifestyle, especially all the time we spend in front of computer screens, contributes greatly to the surge of dry eye that I’ve seen over the past 20 years.sustane_lg.jpg

Here’s a tip, free of charge: all eye drops are not created equal. It can be confusing with the dozens of OTC drops available at your local Wal-Mart or Target. Ask your eye doctor, or take my word for it: Try Systane. It’s my personal favorite. Use it 3-4 times daily. It’s good for what ails ya.

Of course, natural tears are the best of all. Especially the ones associated with laughter and sadness. I can usually tell after spending a few minutes with someone whether or not they’ve cried tears of sadness in the past–they are the ones who bear themselves with great humility and don’t claim to have all the answers. I can also tell the ones who’ve cried tears of joy too–they have a palpable mirth about them and don’t take themselves, or anything, too seriously.

Artificial tears are good. Natural tears are better.

4 Comments

  1. tarwater

    If by serious you mean grave, then here, here! After all the great Apostle of Mirth himself said that “Satan fell by force of gravity”.

    If by serious we mean a concern for what really matters well I just don’t see any modern more full of joy and concurrently more serious than the uproarious, intoxicating, Chesterton himself.

    I am only trying to hedge against a poor interpretation of what you say. Surely being full of mirth and enormously concerned about what really matters are not mutually exclusive?

  2. Mike the Eyeguy

    Well, no, of course not. I do believe, though, that people can have honest differences over “what really matters,” and what shape “enormous concern” may take.

  3. tarwater

    Point taken. And I can only look again to Chesterton as my guide (although a thousand others would bear for me just as authoritative a witness, from Irenaeus to Pascal) that whatever he thinks really matters is very likely what really matters.

    And high on his list I am sure are the simple pleasures in life, especially a fire in my hearth, bread and wine on my table, and good friends and family to spend a lifetime searching it out.

    Tonight I will raise my glass, dear proprietor, to you and yours. Adieu.

  4. tarwater

    And to all of my enemies beware or I shall taunt you and then fart in your general direction!

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