Dry eye

Anyone can get dry eye, but it is more likely if you:

• Are older, since your eyes often make fewer tears with age
• Are a woman, especially during pregnancy or after menopause
• Spend long hours looking at screens, since people blink less while they focus
• Wear contact lenses
• Have swollen or crusty eyelids (blepharitis), or skin conditions such as rosacea
• Live or work in dry, windy or air-conditioned places
• Take certain medicines, such as some allergy, cold, blood pressure, acne or mood medicines
• Have certain health conditions, such as diabetes, thyroid disease, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or Sjögren’s syndrome
• Have had eye surgery, including laser vision correction

Your eye doctor will ask about your symptoms, your health and the medicines you take. They will look closely at your eyelids, your tears and the front of your eye with a special microscope. They may use a harmless colored dye to show dry spots on the surface of your eye. They may also check how many tears you make, how quickly they break up, and how well the oil glands in your eyelids work. These tests are quick and don’t hurt.

Treatment depends on what is causing your dry eye and how much it bothers you. Your eye doctor may suggest:

• Artificial tears, gels or ointments. If you use drops more than a few times a day, preservative-free drops are usually gentler on the eye.
• Warm compresses and gentle eyelid cleaning, when the oil glands in your eyelids are part of the problem
• Prescription eye drops that calm swelling on the surface of the eye or help your eyes make more tears
• In-office treatments that warm, open and clear blocked oil glands in the eyelids
• Changes to your contact lenses, or to how long you wear them
• Tiny plugs placed in the tear drains to keep tears on your eye longer
• Treating other causes, such as allergies, eyelid problems or a medicine that dries your eyes

Many people need to try more than one approach, and it can take a few weeks to feel the difference. Tell your eye doctor what helps and what doesn’t. Eye drops that “get the red out” are not a treatment for dry eye and can make redness worse over time.

Small daily habits can make a real difference:

• When you use a screen, look away every so often and blink fully.
• Use a humidifier in dry rooms.
• Keep fans, heaters and car vents from blowing at your face.
• Wear wraparound sunglasses outside on windy days.
• Keep your eyelids clean, and remove eye makeup fully at night.
• Drink enough water.
• Don’t smoke, and stay away from smoky places.

Dry eye often doesn’t go away completely, but it can usually be managed so that it bothers you less. If your symptoms get worse or change, let your eye doctor know.