It has been more than 1 and a half years into the Covid-19 situation in my city. Many of us have grown used to staying home and enduring isolation. The sense of one’s emotions seemed amplified when we are alone. Embracing tears has been necessary to acknowledge the state of helplessness one experienced every now and then in the uncertain and incomprehensible Covid-19 situation.

I never considered the ability to cry as important and something to be thankful for, until lately. I was recently being diagnosed with MGD — Meibomian Gland Dyfunction. This is a common cause of dry eyes, the dyfunctioning of the Meibomian gland results in an imbalance composition of tears leading to fast evaporation of the water content of the tears and thus insufficient lubrication to the eyes. This could cause soreness to the eyes, and the discomfort would be present regardless if I open or close my eyes. Before the diagnosis, I was anxiously worried that it could be an undesirable surge in eye pressure causing something more serious. Thus there was a sense of relief knowing that it was the MGD condition which had caused all the discomforts.

One of the causes mentioned by the doctor was having “oily eyelids”. It seemed that Asians are more prone to having this condition. 15 minutes of warm compress followed by a sanitised eye wipe should clean the eyelids effectively. In order to recover from the MGD condition, I needed to be diligent with the regime and be patient in waiting for the Meibomian glands to be unclogged. I was told that I should stick to the regime for days or even weeks before the condition could be uplifted.

Tonight, I was overjoyed when my eyes were filled with some tears, which definitely soothed my eyes a lot, being dry and sore for the last 10 days. I am now much more appreciative and embracing tears than ever before.