Dry eye is a common condition that occurs when the eyes are insufficiently moisturized, leading to blurry vision, foreign body sensation, redness and pain, from dry areas on the surface of the eye. The eyes may become dry and irritated because the tear ducts don’t produce enough tears, or because the tears themselves have a chemical imbalance.
Dry eye can develop when the tear ducts are not producing a sufficient number of tears. Or the condition can be due to a chemical imbalance in the tears themselves. The tears our body produces require a particular chemical balance to lubricate the eyes efficiently. Sometimes, your eyes are actually overproducing tears due to the irritation in your eyes, but the tears aren’t the right consistency to help.
Aging makes us all more likely to develop dry eye — it’s more common in people over the age of 50. It can be a side effect of taking certain medications, a sign of another medical condition, or the results from an injury.
Women tend to get dry eye more than men due to the hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy and menopause. Oral contraceptives can also lead to inconsistent tear ingredients.
These are the signs and symptoms of dry eye, which usually affects both eyes:
Everyone has dry eye from time to time. It could be due to an allergy medication you’ve taken in the spring. It could be due to a windy day when out at the coast. You could have stared at your computer screen for too long today. For most people who suffer from occasional or mild dry eye, using over-the-counter artificial tears is all the treatment necessary. These symptoms will pass within a few days at most.
Chronic dry eye is another story. This chronic dry eye could be the result of problems with your eyelids, your tear quality, or that your tears are exiting your eyes too quickly.
Dry eye can cause blurry vision. A healthy tear film doesn’t simply keep the front of the eye moist, it is also important for clear vision. Your tears must have the correct balance of water, oils, and mucus to allow the tear film to spread evenly across the surface of the cornea. If the tears evaporate too easily or become too oily and mucus-filled, these can make your vision blurry. Blinking fully and frequently can decrease this, as it spreads the tear film across the cornea.
When your dry eye is persistent, we will diagnose the cause and provide the appropriate treatment. These are some treatment options.
When you have prolonged periods where you have the signs and symptoms of dry eye, that’s not normal and you should be evaluated by an eye doctor. If you have the following issues for a prolonged period, please contact us: