Dry Eyes

What Causes Dry Eyes?

In dry eye syndrome, the eye doesn't produce enough tears, or the tears have a chemical composition that causes them to evaporate too quickly.

Dry eye syndrome has several causes. It occurs as a part of the natural aging process, as a side effect of many medications, such as antihistamines, antidepressants, certain blood pressure medicines, Parkinson's medications and birth control pills; or because you live in a dry, dusty or windy climate.

If your home or office has air conditioning or a dry heating system, that too can dry out your eyes. Another cause is insufficient blinking, such as when you're staring at a computer screen all day.

Dry Eye Syndrome Symptoms

Persistent dryness, scratching and burning in your eyes are signs of dry eye syndrome. Some people also experience a "foreign body sensation," the feeling that something is in the eye. And it may seem odd, but sometimes watery eyes can result from dry eye syndrome, because the excessive dryness works to over stimulate production of the watery component of your eye's tears.

Treatment for Dry Eyes

Dry eye syndrome is an ongoing condition that may not be cured (depends on the cause), but the accompanying dryness, scratchiness and burning can be managed. Your eyecare practitioner may prescribe artificial tears, which are lubricating eyedrops that may alleviate the dry, scratching feeling.

If the problem is environmental, you should always wear sunglasses when outdoors, to reduce exposure to sun, wind and dust. You may want to try the kind that has a foam or other seal at the sides, to keep wind and dust from getting to your eyes at the top, bottom and sides.

Indoors, an air cleaner can filter out dust and other particles from the air, while a humidifier adds moisture to air that's too dry because of air conditioning or heating.

Temporary or permanent silicone plugs in the lacrimal (tear) ducts keep tears in your eye from draining away as quickly. Called lacrimal plugs or punctal plugs, they can be inserted painlessly while you're in the eye doctor's office and are normally not felt once inserted.

Doctors sometimes recommend special nutritional supplements for dry eyes. Studies have found that supplements containing certain essential fatty acids can decrease dry eye symptoms. You could also eat more cold-water fish, such as sardines, cod, herring and salmon, which contain omega-3 fatty acids.

Drinking more water can help. Mild dehydration may make dry eye problems worse. This is especially true during hot, dry and windy weather. But the symptoms of dry eye syndrome may be improved by simply drinking more water.

If medications are the cause of dry eyes, discontinuing the drug generally resolves the problem. But in this case, the benefits of the drug must be weighed against the side effect of dry eyes. Sometimes switching to a different type of medication alleviates the dry eye symptoms while keeping the needed treatment. In any case, never switch or discontinue your medications without consulting with your doctor first!