Why are my eyes dry

Why are my eyes dry

When you start to get dry eyes, it can be very irritating, but after a while, it can even become painful. So if you’re experiencing dry eyes, you should seek the cause of your dry eyes as soon as possible so you can seek treatment.

In most cases, dry eyes go away after changing your surroundings or adapting your lifestyle to prevent dry eyes. However, many people get dry eyes as they get older, and women experience them more than men throughout their lives, so it can be difficult to prevent. Whatever the cause of your dry eyes, you should treat them as soon as possible to ensure you don’t develop any eye complaints as a result.

So why might your eyes be dry?

Symptoms of dry eyes

Counterintuitively, dry eyes aren’t always dry. The symptoms of dry eyes can vary greatly from person to person, depending on how long they’ve suffered from dry eyes and the initial factor that’s causing their eyes to dry.

Some common symptoms of dry eyes include:

• A stinging, burning or itchy feeling in your eyes.
• Eye redness.
• Feeling like there’s something in your eyes.
• Stringy mucus in your eyes.
• Sensitivity to light.
• Difficulty with nighttime driving.
• Tired eyes.
• Difficulty wearing contact lenses.
• Watery eyes.
• Blurred vision.

Symptoms may start mildly as a person’s eyes begin to dry and progress as they live with dry eyes for longer, but you shouldn’t wait for too long to find out what’s causing your dry eyes if you’re suffering from the symptoms.

Causes of dry eyes

Dry eyes are caused by a failure to produce sufficient tears or sufficient quality tears. Tears are made up of several components, including water, salt, fatty oils and proteins, as they intend to coat your eye, keeping it moist and enabling you to blink comfortably to remove any dust, dirt or foreign substances from your eyes that may scratch the surface and cause damage.

If your eyes are dry because there’s a lack of tears, they will usually feel dry, itchy and appear red. But if your eyes are dry because the tears lack a necessary substance, they may be very watery as your body tries to compensate by keeping your eyes wet to keep them clean and relieve itchiness.

The lack of tears or lack of quality tears may be caused by an underlying condition or an environmental factor that you can treat to help keep your eyes moist.

Common environmental factors

Our eyes can become dry based on the conditions of the room we’re in or the weather outside, so sometimes, you simply need to change your environment to relieve the symptoms of dry eyes.

Common environmental factors causing dry eyes include:

• Being in a smoky room.
• Being in an air-conditioned room.
• Being on an aeroplane.
• Cycling without glasses.
• Being outside in cold, dry, windy conditions.
• Looking at a computer screen for extended periods.
• Looking at a computer screen at close range.

The symptoms of dry eyes caused by these factors can clear up naturally on their own if you move to a different location or wait a few hours. But if you have dry eyes for more than a few days without having been on a plane or in a smoky room for several hours, for example, you should see an eye specialist to investigate the cause of your dry eyes, as it may be a more serious condition.

Possible health conditions

Some health conditions cause dry eyes as a symptom, and some medications you may be on can cause dry eyes as a side effect. So if you have been diagnosed with any of the following or are taking any of the following medicines, it’s likely that these are causing your eyes to feel dry:

• Vitamin A deficiency.
• Rheumatoid arthritis.
• A chalazion is blocking your tear duct.
• Thyroid disorders.
• Lupus.
• Keratitis.
• Corneal nerve desensitisation caused by laser eye surgery or frequent use of contact lenses.

Medicines and treatments, including:

• Antihistamines.
• Antidepressants.
• Nasal decongestants.
• Birth control.
• Hormone replacement therapy.

If you haven’t been diagnosed with any of these conditions or aren’t taking any of these medicines, you should see your GP after prolonged dry eyes to establish a cause. If you are taking any of the medicines that may cause dry eyes, you can speak to your GP about changing medication to try to relieve the symptoms.

Other possible causes

Some causes of dry eyes aren’t caused by a health condition or something in your surroundings that you can easily change. Over the age of 50, you’re more likely to experience dry eyes as your body stops producing enough lubrication for your eyes. As you get older, you’re also more likely to require laser eye surgery, have cataracts removed or wear contact lenses, all of which may affect the moistness of your eyes.

Hormonal changes can also cause dry eyes, so women are more likely to experience dry eyes than men; from starting periods, using birth control, getting pregnant and going through the menopause, women have very significant hormonal changes throughout their lives, all of which may contribute to having dry eyes.

One possible cause that is an easy fix is being dehydrated. You need to drink enough water for your body to be able to produce tears, so if your water intake is low, you may also have dry eyes. One simple way to tell if you’re dehydrated is by pinching the skin on the back of your hand to see how quickly it springs back; if it returns to normal slowly, you’re dehydrated.

Increase your fluid intake each day and repeat the test. As you return to normal hydration levels, you should notice your eyes becoming more moist as well. If this is not the case, see an eye specialist to find the cause and help treat your dry eyes.

Can you treat dry eyes?

While you should seek treatment for the cause of dry eyes if you have a health condition, it’s important to also treat the symptoms of dry eyes to prevent other eye health problems. Having dry eyes for long periods is not just irritating and painful, but it can also damage your eyes as the surface of your cornea is scratched from dirt and dust in your eyes that is not removed when blinking.

Fortunately, there are a few different treatments for dry eyes, from punctal plugs and salivary gland transplants to eye drops; however, while these treatments effectively relieve symptoms of dry eyes, there is no permanent cure. Most people feel great relief from using eye drops like artificial tears.

How do artificial tears work?

Artificial tears are a type of eye drop aimed to relieve the symptoms of dry eyes by replacing the tear fluid to help lubricate your eyes and allow comfortable blinking. Some types of artificial tears also aim to prevent the quick evaporation of tears, one of the reasons why some people experience dry eyes.

You can buy artificial tears over the counter at your pharmacy; however, it’s usually best to get the advice of an eye specialist first so you know which type of eye drop will best treat your symptoms.

To use eye drops, just tilt your head back and lower your bottom eyelid gently with one finger to create a small well. Without directly touching your eye, drop as many eye drops into your eyes as you have been recommended while looking up and pressing gently, or your tear duct to prevent the eye drops from being drained too quickly.

This will relieve your eyes quickly, but you should use eye drops for as long as your specialist recommends.

Even if your main symptom of dry eyes is having very watery eyes, you should still use eye drops to help treat them, as eye drops contain the right substances to keep your eyes moist for longer.

Get help for your dry eyes at the Eye and Dental Clinic

The Eye and Dental Clinic has an expert team of ophthalmologists ready to help relieve your eye health problems, from dry eyes to infections like blepharitis and conjunctivitis. If you want more information regarding your eye health, read our latest news, or simply contact us today to book an appointment.

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