I’ve always been a bit of a rebel. It just never suited me to sit still or stay in one place for very long. I love to be out and about, and — most of all — I love to be out on the highway in my convertible, the wind in my hair. That sense of freedom, the feeling that I can go anywhere or do anything, has always been really important to me.
I’ve designed my whole life around the freedom to move — even my job as a sales rep involves many days on the road, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But not that long ago, driving became a big challenge.
It started when I was out driving in my convertible. At first I thought it was just the wind making my eyes dry and uncomfortable. After a good night’s sleep, my eyes would feel normal again. But the dry, scratchy feeling in my eyes started happening more and more — even when I had the top up or when I wasn’t in the car at all.
I tried drops that said they were for “dry eyes,” and they helped at first — but the relief didn’t last very long. Eventually, I couldn’t drive for more than a mile or two before I’d have to pull over to put in more eye drops. My dry eyes were slowly taking away one of the most important things in my life — the freedom of the road.
Finally, I spoke to my eye doctor about my painful eyes. After a few simple tests, the doctor explained my dry eye symptoms were caused by something called “meibomian gland dysfunction” or MGD. He told me that the meibomian glands are parts of the eyes that produce an important ingredient in natural tears that locks in moisture. When the meibomian glands aren’t working perfectly, tears evaporate too quickly, causing painful dry eye symptoms.
My doctor also said that MGD is fairly common — it’s estimated that as much as 40 percent of dry eye is caused by MGD1 — but until recently there haven’t been any eye drops designed specifically to treat the symptoms of MGD.
My doctor recommended that I try SYSTANE® BALANCE Lubricant Eye Drops, a new type of eye drop just for people like me, who have MGD. SYSTANE® BALANCE works by restoring the natural tear film to relieve dry eye symptoms associated with MGD.
As soon as I tried SYSTANE® BALANCE dry eye drops, I could feel the difference. The new drops can relieve my dry eye symptoms for longer relief with fewer doses. Now I can drive without constantly pulling over for more eye drops. The freedom of the open road is mine again, thanks to SYSTANE® BALANCE Lubricant Eye Drops.
This is my story. SYSTANE® BALANCE dry eye drops helped me, and it may help you.
*Inspired by real-life experiences.
1. Hom MM et al. Prevalence of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. Optometry and Vision Science. 1990: 67(9): 710-712.
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