What Causes Dry Eyes

When we cry, be it out of sadness, sorrow, or happiness, our eyes tear up and it gets wet. However, even if we are not crying, our eyes remain wet and need to stay that way. Otherwise, there would be a number of things we would have either a hard time doing or being unable to do at all.

This can happen when you have dry eyes. But what are dry eyes? What causes it? Is it something that you just let pass, or is it something that you should be worrying about? How can you treat it? Do you need to immediately see a doctor when you get dry eyes? You can learn more of that in this article.

What are dry eyes?

Dry eyes happen when the tears that your eyes produce are not enough to give proper lubrication to your eyes. If you are still unaware, our eyes use tears to keep it lubricated and functioning properly.

Perhaps you have worked an all-nighter once or twice in your life. Ever noticed how you would yawn and tear up on your eyes? After that, you would feel a little refreshed and you may feel less stress in your eyes. This is one of the essential functions of teasers in our eyes, and when it is not sufficient, you end up getting dry eyes.

There are two types of dry eyes conditions: it can be either temporary, or it can be chronic. A temporary dry eye can be due to a number of simple and temporary factors such as excessive reading or exposure to a screen, extreme weather conditions, or lack of sleep, among others. However, this type of dry eyes goes away after some time and should not last long.

On the other hand, dry eyes can be considered chronic if it lasts for a long time and is already getting in the way of your normal and daily life functions.

Symptoms of dry eyes

Sometimes, you might not even be aware that you have dry eyes already. Here are some of the warning signs that your eyes might not be as lubricated as they should be--and that you might need to do something about it.

• You feel an unusual itch and the urge to scratch your eyes repeatedly
• You feel a burning sensation in your eyes
• Your vision becomes blurry
• You get red eyes
• You feel extra sensitive to light

What causes dry eyes?

There are several causes of dry eyes, and some of them may be something you always do, or something that you cannot avoid entirely

Here are some of the things that can cause dry eyes.

Aging

As you get older, you get more prone to dry eyes. Studies have shown that once people reach the age of 50, tear production decreases and the chance of getting dry eyes increases.

The meds you take

There are certain medications, or a combination of some, that can temporarily affect your eye’s ability to create moisture through tears. If this is the cause, you can ask your doctor for an alternative that would not cause dry eyes, or you can simply ask for artificial tears in the form of eye drops. You can easily buy the best eye drops online as well.

Stress

You may have read too much throughout the day or have stayed in front of the computer for an extended period of time. This can cause dry eyes. This is because when we read or look at a monitor, we tend to blink less than we normally would. In turn, this would result in our eyes getting less lubrication than it should and thus, we end up having dry eyes.

Vitamin A deficiency

Most of us know that vitamin A is good for the eyes. Normally, you would get enough vitamin A you need from a healthy and balanced diet. However, if you have certain conditions that make you have deficiency for this, you may end up having dry eyes, among other eye problems that you may experience.

Dehydration

If you are dehydrated, a lot of your bodily functions may start to not work properly. You might start feeling dizzy, light-headed, weak, and have dry eyes, among other symptoms.

Wearing of contact lenses

When you use contact lenses, you are putting your eyes in an incredibly stressful situation and getting extremely dry is one of the results of it. This is why you should always maintain moisture on your eyes while wearing your lenses by using artificial tears. The best contact solutions can do this for you.

If possible, you should also avoid wearing lenses for a prolonged period of time.

Sjogren’s syndrome

One of the possible causes of a chronic dry eye condition is Sjogren’s syndrome. This is an autoimmune condition that causes your white blood cells to attack your salivary and tear glands, causing you dry mouth and dry eyes.

How can you treat dry eyes?

Artificial tears/eye drops

Most of the time, an over-the-counter eye drop, or artificial tears formula can do the job for your dry eyes. You may need your doctor’s recommendation in some cases, but you can always get one without any prescription. Among other brands, GenTeal is one of the most popular and recommended brands for eye drops.

Rest

If the cause of your eye drops is due to over exhaustion of the eyes, the solution can be as simple as taking a rest. Blink often, and if possible, look at a wide scenery to ease the strain and stress on your vision.

Possible medications or treatment

In cases of chronic dry eyes or dry eyes caused by autoimmune conditions, your doctor may recommend treatment or in some cases, even surgery. It is always better to consult your doctor if you feel like your dry eye situations are not normal anymore, so you can be guided on proper steps depending on the specifics of your condition.