Dry Eye Disease Symptoms & Causes

Signs and Symptoms

Dry eye disease occurs when your tears cannot provide enough lubrication for your eyes. This tear instability leads to inflammation and damage of the eye’s surface.

When this happens you will experience these symptoms which usually affect both eyes :

Causes

Some factors that can cause dry eyes:

Contact Lenses

Contact lens wearers are more prone to dry eye.

Air Conditioning

These dry out the air so reduce moisture in the eyes.

Not Blinking Enough

Screen use at work with computers or other devices can reduce the frequency of blinking five times less than normal! This reduces the spread of tears across your eye leading to damage to the protective lipid layer over the eye.

Ageing

We tend to make fewer tears as we get older so as you age you are likely to be affected more. For women, hormonal changes during the menopause can also lead to more frequent dry eyes.

Medications

Some medications can cause dry eyes as a side effect or make existing dry eyes worse (e.g. beta blockers, the pill and antihistamines)

Treatment Options

One of the more recent technology in treating dry eyes is through the use of phospholipid liposomes to help repair the lipid layer of the eye. Phospholipid liposomes are delivered to the eyes through liposomal sprays.

Video: Dry Eye Causes

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