What is Dry Eyes Syndrome?

Dry Eyes Syndrome quite simply put is the lack of sufficient lubrication and moisture in the eyes. The consequences of dry eye range from constant irritation to ocular inflammation of the front tissue in the eye.

What Can Cause Dry Eyes?

There are a number of things that can cause dry eyes. You can get dry eye naturally as part of the aging process, and dry eye is especially common during the menopause. Dry eye can also be the side effect of some medications including antihistamines, birth control pills, and antidepressants. Living in a dusty, windy, or dry climate can also cause dry eye, as can air conditioning or a dry heating system. If you don’t blink enough, this can also cause dry eye.

Dry eye is the result of not having enough tears. Tears are essential in eye health. They bathe the eyes, wash them out if anything gets into them, and they keep them moist. Tears also contain essential enzymes.

Dry Eye Symptoms And Signs

Dry eye symptoms include persistent dryness of the eyes which is associated with scratching and burning. These dry eye symptoms may not be enough to diagnose dry eye and your eye care practitioner may also want to measure the amount of tears that are in your eyes. This is a simple procedure call the Schirmer test where a thin piece of filter paper is placed at the edge of the eye.

Another symptom of dry eye is the feeling that there is something in your eye. Over watery eyes can sometimes indicate dry eye where the excessive dryness has over stimulated the production of the watery component in your tears.

If you have been wearing contact lenses for a long time this can also cause dry eye and this is extremely common. Dry eye can make contact lenses feel very uncomfortable.

Other causes of dry eye include incomplete closure of the eye lids, eye lid disease, or a problem with the tear producing glands. Dry eye syndrome is most common in women and dry eye has also been linked to smoking.

Dry eye can also be a symptom of such diseases as lupus, rosacea, rheumatoid arthritis, or Sjogren’s syndrome.

Dry Eyes Treatment

Treatment for dry eye is ongoing and depending on the cause of your dry eye it may not be cured. The dry eye irritation can be managed however. Artificial tears may be prescribed for dry eye which will help to lubricate the eyes and alleviate itching.

Contact lenses and dry eyes are extremely common and most eye drops and artificial tears cannot be used while wearing contacts. Check with your eye care practitioner for further advice on dry eye and contact lenses.

 
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