eye just hurts

[snooky]

I really do not know if this is dry eye or not
I used to several years ago have a problem with my eyes
whenever I was outside or in the car and had wind or heater or air conditioner on in car my eyes would start to burn and I could not see
it was not both eyes at once at the start
I would drive and have one eye shut for a while and when the other would start to hurt I would close that one
when my eye was shut the pain would lessen and eventually go away
sometimes My nose would run and my eyes would tear too
everyone always thought this was allergys
I suffered with this for many years
It does not bother me as much anymore
But I have a 22 year old son that his eyes bother him a great deal
he cannot stand to drive with windows open as all and is always closing his eyes
something it hurts in the house and other places and not just outside
what I have noticed is that when I give him anall day allergy pill like allerga
it seems to help some so do not know if it is heridatary or allergys or both
we are both near sighted but do not wear glasses
he is in military and trying to get him to go to doctor and get checked
I wonder if this causes long term problems if not helped
I know mine does not bother me but like I said I suffered for years in my 20's and early 30's with this
I am now 45
would appreciate any help with this
I do know my brother was born without any tear ducts and cannot cry but we believe this was caused at birth by a doctor who made a mistake
Patricia

[Rebecca Petris]

Hi Patricia, welcome to Dry Eye Talk.

Sure sounds like dry eyes. Sensitivity to drafts, and eyes getting sore when driving (when your blink rate is probably low because you're focusing constantly on the road) are pretty typical.

A good way to find out more is see an optometrist or ophthalmologist and have your tear production and tear break-up time observed. The latter is a test where (typically) they put a little bit of fluorescein dye in your eye and then observe your eye under the microscope while you hold it open without blinking. How quickly dry spots appear tells them about the stability of your tear film. For example, you might have a deficiency of the oil layer of your tears resulting in what they call evaporative dry eye.

At any rate, a full assessment for dry eye would be a good next step for your son, and maybe you if you still have any symptoms.

Regards,

[Gogo]

I agree with Rebecca because if it is dry eye it can be serious. It can injure your cornea if it isn't treated. Better to know what it is and what it isn't so that you can treat it correctly.