Dry Eye Awareness Month: Effective Ways to Treat Dry Eyes

What to Know About Dry Eye Disease

Dry eye syndrome, also called dry eye disease, happens when your eyes are not properly lubricated by a stable, healthy tear film. Tears do more than keep the eyes moist. They help maintain a smooth surface on the eyes, wash away irritants, and deliver nutrients to the cornea. When the eyes do not have enough lubrication, they may become dry, inflamed, irritated, and uncomfortable.

With dry eye disease, the tear film may evaporate too quickly or may not be replenished the way it should be. This can leave the eyes feeling gritty, scratchy, burning, or irritated. For some people, symptoms are mild and occasional. For others, dry eye can become persistent enough to interfere with activities like reading, driving, computer use, or wearing contact lenses.

Because dry eye symptoms can overlap with allergies, digital eye strain, contact lens discomfort, and other eye concerns, a comprehensive eye exam is the best way to better understand what may be causing your symptoms.

Common Causes of Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry eye can develop for many different reasons. Some causes reduce the amount of tears your eyes make, while others affect tear quality or cause tears to evaporate too quickly. Understanding the underlying cause can help guide the most effective treatment approach.

• Aging: As we age, tear production naturally decreases, making dry eye more common in individuals over 50.

• Environmental Factors: Dry climates, air conditioning, smoke, wind, and pollutants can all contribute to dry eye by increasing tear evaporation.

• Health Conditions: Certain conditions like Sjögren’s syndrome, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis can affect the quality of tears or the glands responsible for producing them.

• Medications: Some medications, such as antihistamines, decongestants, and beta-blockers, can reduce tear production as a side effect, making dry eye symptoms more prominent.

• Contact Lens Wear: Long-term or improper use of contact lenses can contribute to dry eyes, as the lenses can absorb moisture from the eye’s surface and disrupt tear distribution.

• Hormonal Changes: Hormonal shifts like those experienced during pregnancy, menopause, or because of certain birth control methods can affect tear production and lead to dry eye.

• Screen Time: Prolonged exposure to digital screens, whether for work, entertainment, or study, often leads to reduced blinking, contributing to dry eye symptoms.

Signs and Symptoms of Dry Eye

Recognizing the symptoms of dry eye is an important first step in finding relief. Many people have occasional dryness, but dry eye disease is more likely when symptoms continue, return often, or begin to affect everyday life. Symptoms can range from mild irritation to more significant discomfort, and they may vary depending on your environment, activities, or time of day.

Common symptoms of dry eye include:

• Gritty or scratchy sensation

• Burning or stinging

• Redness

• Blurred vision

• Excessive tearing

• Light sensitivity

• Eye fatigue

Watery eyes can also be a symptom of dry eye. When the eyes become irritated, they may produce extra tears, but those tears may not have the right balance to keep the eye surface comfortable.

Mild dryness may sometimes improve with simple home care, but ongoing symptoms should be evaluated by an eye doctor. If your symptoms are persistent, worsening, painful, making contact lenses uncomfortable, or affecting daily activities, it is a good time to schedule an eye exam at The EyeDoctors Optometrists.

When It’s Time to See an Eye Doctor Dry Eye

You should schedule an eye exam for dry eye if your symptoms continue, get worse over time, affect your vision, make contacts difficult to wear, or interfere with tasks such as reading, driving, working, or using digital screens.

You should also seek care if you have significant redness, light sensitivity, eye pain, discharge, sudden vision changes, or symptoms that do not improve with over-the-counter lubricating drops. An eye doctor can assess your tear quality, tear quantity, eyelids, and the surface of your eyes to help identify the cause and recommend the right treatment plan.

How Dry Eye Is Treated

The best dry eye treatment depends on what is causing your symptoms and how severe they are. Mild cases may improve with daily habit changes and over-the-counter products, while moderate to severe dry eye may require prescription treatment or in-office care. Here are some of the options that may help manage dry eye symptoms.

Lifestyle Adjustments

Simple changes in your routine can make a meaningful difference for some people with dry eye.

1. Use a Humidifier: Adding moisture to the air in your home or office can prevent tear evaporation and reduce dryness, especially in dry or air-conditioned environments.

2. Practice the 20-20-20 Rule: If you spend a lot of time in front of screens, follow the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break and focus on something 20 feet away. This encourages natural blinking and reduces eye strain.

3. Increase Your Water Intake: Staying hydrated helps maintain the health of your tear glands, ensuring that your eyes are adequately lubricated.

4. Avoid Wind and Direct Sunlight: Wearing sunglasses or protective eyewear can help shield your eyes from harsh winds and UV rays, both of which can exacerbate dry eye symptoms.

5. Take Breaks: When reading, working on a computer, or engaging in other visually demanding activities, take regular breaks to rest your eyes and reduce the risk of dryness and irritation.

Over-the-Counter Treatments

Artificial tears are one of the most common treatments for dry eye. These lubricating drops help add moisture and relieve symptoms such as burning, irritation, and scratchiness. Preservative-free formulas are also available and may be especially helpful for people with sensitive eyes. Some people may also benefit from thicker gel drops or ointments, especially overnight. These products can provide longer-lasting relief and may be useful for people who wake up with dry eyes in the morning.

If you use artificial tears several times a day, preservative-free drops may be a better choice because some preservatives can become irritating with frequent use. It is also best to avoid relying on redness-relief drops as your main dry eye treatment unless your eye doctor recommends them, since they may not address the underlying cause.

Warm compresses may also help. Applying a warm compress to the eyelids can help open blocked meibomian glands, which produce the oily part of the tear film. That oil layer helps prevent tears from evaporating too quickly, so improving gland function may help improve tear quality.

Prescription Treatments

If dry eye is moderate to severe, your eye care provider may recommend prescription treatment.

• Restasis®: Restasis is a prescription eye drop that helps reduce inflammation and increase tear production. It may be recommended for chronic dry eye associated with inflammation.

• Xiidra®: Xiidra is another prescription eye drop that targets inflammation associated with dry eye disease and may help improve comfort.

• Punctal Plugs: These small devices are placed in the tear ducts to slow tear drainage and help keep more moisture on the eyes. They may be helpful for people who have trouble maintaining enough tears.

Your eye doctor may also discuss other prescription or in-office treatment options depending on the cause and severity of your symptoms. Because dry eye can have more than one contributing factor, treatment may involve a combination of drops, eyelid care, daily habit changes, and procedures.

Advanced Dry Eye Therapies

In some cases, more advanced treatment may be recommended. LipiFlow® is an in-office treatment that uses heat and gentle massage to help treat meibomian gland dysfunction, which is a common cause of dry eye. This treatment is intended to help restore healthier oil flow and improve tear quality.

For more severe dry eye, scleral lenses may also be an option. These large gas-permeable lenses create a moisture reservoir over the eye’s surface. They can be especially beneficial for people with severe dryness or corneal damage because they provide ongoing hydration and protection.