Causes of dry eye

What causes dry eye? All eyecare websites usually have a list of dry eye causes. However, they're usually not all causes. Many of the things on the list are simply factors that make symptoms worse. And some simply act as triggers for a severe dry eye crisis when the underlying causes were there all along. At the end of the day, it is impossible to differentiate amongst all these things. Most people with dry eye have multiple factors involved, and sorting out which ones are chickens, eggs...

Some of the most common symptoms of dry eye:

• Feeling like there is something in your eye (foreign body sensation)
• Scratchy, gritty eyes
• Aching or sore eyes
• Smarting or burning eyes
• Eyes tire easily, particularly noticeable from reading, watching TV or using a computer
• Contact lens discomfort or intolerance
• Excessive mucus discharge
• Watery eyes
• Eyes easily irritated by smoke
• Sensitivity to light (photophobia)
• Fluctuating vision
• Blurred vision, particularly first thing

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Dry eye is a catch-all term for what happens to people when one or more things go wrong with the tear layer (tear film) on your eyes. A healthy tear film nourishes and protects your sensitive surface tissues and is also an important part of providing clear vision. An unhealthy tear film can cause many different kinds and degress of discomfort or pain and can interfere with good vision. Unfortunately we are stuck with this silly term "dry eye", which is both inaccurate and misleading. First, it's...