Almost everyone will experience dry or irritated eyes at some time. However, if you have chronic dryness with accompanying symptoms such as itchiness or irritation, you may want to visit your eye doctor to see if you have dry eye disease. The following list of causes and symptoms of dry eyes will guide you toward treatment.

Causes for Dry Eyes

The main types of dry eyes are: 

• Keratitis sicca: dryness and inflammation of the cornea.
• Keratoconjunctivitis sicca: dryness of cornea and conjunctiva, or the clear coating of the eye.
• Dysfunctional tear syndrome: inadequate ability of the tear ducts to make tears.

Dryness and inflammation can be caused by a variety of external conditions, such as allergies to pollen or dust. Computer use, smoking, age, and wind or air conditioning can contribute to dry eyes too. Usually, chronic dryness is an insufficiency in the body to produce all or some of the components of tears, which keep our eyes moist and lubricated even when we aren’t crying. Tears are made of three different substances—lipids, water, and mucous—all made by a different part of the eye. The oily component keeps tears from evaporating too quickly, while a lack of the watery component keeps the eye from getting properly moistened.

Symptoms

Aside from dryness, symptoms of dry eye disease are itching, redness, watery eyes, blurred vision, achy or sore eyes, and a general feeling of fatigue in the eye area. If you have any of these symptoms for longer than a few days, you should see your eye doctor, as chronic dry eyes can lead to permanent damage.

Treatment

The underlying cause of your dry eyes will be determined by your eye doctor. Depending on the primary cause, you may receive prescribed drops or in-office procedures to help your eyes create more tears. In some cases, lifestyle changes can help, like getting computer glasses or quitting smoking. You may be fine with over-the-counter eye drops or artificial tears.

Almost half of adult Americans suffer from some form of dry eyes. Age, climate, computer use, and other health conditions are all potential contributions to dry eyes. If you have chronic dryness or irritation, visit your eye doctor. From eye exams and contact lenses to glasses and laser surgery, Edwin Y. Endo, OD & Associates in Aiea, HI, will assist you. Call (808) 487-5500 or visit the website to see a list of services.