Dry eyes are an incredibly common complaint which, in addition to dryness, leads to symptoms including soreness, eye fatigue, irritation, grittiness and burning. Although the condition is common, having dry eyes is still not considered normal.
Some individuals experience dry eyes as the symptom of a separate problem, such as ocular allergies, an eye infection, contact lens irritation, long hours of computer work or even hot, dry weather. Other individuals, however, have dry eye syndrome, chronic dry eyes unrelated to any other condition.
Tear glands failing to produce a sufficient amount of tears to lubricate the eyes is the most common cause of chronic dry eye.
These glands produce an oily substance which helps lubricate the eyes and prevent tear evaporation. These glands often become blocked, preventing the distribution of this oil.
Some individuals produce tears which contain abnormally high amounts of salt and inflammatory substances, which irritate eyes and make them feel even drier.
When patients schedule a dry eye appointment or mention frequent dryness and irritation during a comprehensive vision exam, our optometrist must first determine the underlying cause before providing either a diagnosis or treatment. Before definitively diagnosing a patient with dry eye syndrome, other conditions, such as ocular allergies and infections, must be ruled out.
Our optometrist will perform a series of tests and examinations to determine the underlying cause of the patient’s dry eyes. The diagnosis process might include:
If you are diagnosed with dry eye syndrome, don’t worry. You can find more relief than what’s found inside a bottle of artificial tears. At Innovision Family Eyecare, we offer dry eye syndrome patients a variety of state-of-the-art treatment options, such as:
Feel free to contact us with any comments, questions or concerns you may have, we’d love to hear from you.
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