Dry eye patients usually feel dry eyes, foreign body sensation, eye fatigue, and in severe cases, eye redness, pain, burning sensation and other discomforts. Hot compresses can promote the entry of oils from the lid glands into the eyes, lubricate the eyeballs, and reduce the symptoms of dry eyes.
The eyelids contain several glands pointing towards the eyelids from the orbital direction, i.e., the blepharoplakic glands. The function of the blepharoplakic glands is to secrete oil into the eyes, and together with the tears, form a layer of tear film covering the surface of the eyeballs, lubricating and moisturizing the eyeballs.
When the eyes are dry, hot compresses can be applied to make the blepharoplastine glands swell, speeding up the secretion of oil in the blepharoplastine glands, and also melting some of the slightly clogged blepharoplastine glands to enter the eye.
The skin of the eyelid will slowly return to body temperature after the hot compress is applied, and the glands will gradually return to their original state; if a cold compress is applied after the hot compress is applied, it can speed up the process and make the glands recover quickly. Therefore, cold compresses can be applied.