Dry Eye

Causes

Simply, dry eyes are caused by either a deficiency in the quantity or the quality of the tears or tear film.

• Environment: Sunny, dry, or windy weather, heaters, air conditioners, and arid high altitudes increase the evaporation of tears from the surface of your eyes. In fact there are a number of cities that have been recognized by the National Women's Health Resource Center as being "Dry Eye Hotspots." You may experience dry eye symptoms while viewing television, computer screens, while reading or doing anything that reduces your rate of blinking.
• Aging: During the normal aging process, our bodies and our eyes produce gradually less and less oil. This reduction in oil in the tear film results in quicker evaporation leading to the formation of dry spots on our eyes.
• Contact Lenses Contact Lenses are subject to dehydration or loss of their water content. As they dehydrate, they can absorb the tear film causing dry eye symptoms. In some cases, the continued drying of the contact lens surface causes it to become deposited with protein making the lenses even more uncomfortable than the dryness alone.
• Medical Conditions Women experiencing hormonal changes, those patients suffering from thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, eczema, acne rosacea and a number of other systemic conditions may experience dry eye syndrome.
• Medications Diuretics taken for high blood pressure, allergy medication, antihistamines, acne medications and many others may all produce dry eye symptoms.
• Others Incomplete closure of the eyelids, eyelid disease and a deficiency of the tear-producing glands are other causes. Recent research suggests that smoking, too, can increase your risk of dry eye syndrome.