Dry eye occurs when tears do not keep the eyes wet. Symptoms of dry eyes include a burning feeling, a feeling of a foreign object in the eye, redness, blurred vision, and irritation from contact lenses.
Dry eye can have many different causes, including age-related hormonal changes, eye shape, eye diseases, and poor tear production.
Medications such as birth control pills and antihistamines can worsen dry eye conditions, so it is important to tell your ophthalmologist ab out all of the medications you are taking.
In order to understand why you are experiencing dry eyes, your eye doctor will analyze your tears. There are three ingredients in all tears: the mucous layer, the aqueous (water) layer, and the oil (lipid) layer. A problem with any of these three parts can result in dry eye.
Your doctor will look at the surface of your eye through a microscope. Most tests for dry eye are noninvasive and involve the use of special dyes that temporarily stain the tears and the surface of the eye.
People with dry eye typically rely on artificial tears (eye drops) to relieve their symptoms but they are not as effective as real tears. You can avoid dry eye irritation by using a humidifier to add moisture to the air, applying warm compresses to the eye, and by wearing glasses instead of contact lenses.
New treatments are being developed for dry eye, including:
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For more information, orto make an appointmentwith an ophthalmologist,please contact the UPMCEye Center at 412-647-2200or 1-800-446-3797.
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