What is Dry Eye?
If you’re experiencing dry eye symptoms, you’re not alone. Dry eye is a significant global problem affecting more than 344 million people worldwide, and approximately 6.3 million Canadians*.
Dry eye occurs when there’s an insufficient amount of tears to keep the eyes properly lubricated and nourished. You may experience dry eye symptoms in one or both eyes. It can happen when:
- Your eyes may not be producing enough tears
- Your eyes are making poor quality tears, and they’re evaporating too quickly
If left untreated, dry eye symptoms can impact your eye health and your vision. While dry eye is more prevalent with age, it can impact anyone based on factors such as biology, physiology, environment, and lifestyle.
This information can be found in the TFOS DEWS II Report
How Do You Know If You Have Dry Eyes?
While dry eye discomfort can feel different from person to person, some common symptoms may include:
- Dryness
- Pain
- Irritation
- Burning
- Itching
- Grittiness
- Foreign body feeling
- Excessive blinking
- Light sensitivity
- Blurry vision
DID YOU KNOW
More screen time can mean less blinking, in some cases 65% less than the average number of blinks, contributing to dry eye symptoms.
What Causes Dry Eye?
There are certain conditions that often contribute to dry eye:
Meibomian Gland Disorder (MGD)
One of the leading causes of dry eye, MGD is when some or all of the glands that help provide the natural oils in the outer layer of your tear film are clogged. When this happens, your tears evaporate more quickly than they should.
Hyperosmolarity
Salt in tears is normal. But when tears evaporate too quickly too much salt is left behind in the eye. This is called hyperosmolarity and can result in dry, irritated-feeling eyes.
Other common factors that contribute to dry eye symptoms include:
- Biology & Physiology — Tear production tends to decrease as we age. While dry eye can occur in both men and women at any age, women are more susceptible due to hormonal changes. Dry eye symptoms may arise after LASIK or other eye surgery.
- Environment — Whether you’re inside or outdoors, your environment can make a difference. Dry eye symptoms can worsen in particularly dry climates, or they can be impacted by indoor heating or air conditioning.
- Lifestyle — If you frequently travel to different environments, spend time in dry, air-conditioned buildings, or look at computer or phone screens for long periods of time, you may be more prone to dry eye symptoms.
- Medication — Prescription drugs, especially antihistamines, diuretics and anti-anxiety pills, can contribute to dry eye symptoms.
- Contact lens wear and care habits — Wearing contact lenses beyond the recommended duration and altering your contact lens solution of care routine can contribute to dry eye symptoms.
What Can You Do For Dry Eyes?
If you can relate to any of the symptoms above, you may suffer from dry eye. Luckily, it’s something that’s often easily addressed. Try these quick tips and home remedies for dry eyes, and see if you notice a difference:
- Use lubricating eye drops
- Adjust your environment by, for example, changing the direction of a blowing fan or introducing a humidifier to add moisture to the air
- Take regular breaks from your digital devices and remember to follow the 20/20/20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look up for 20 seconds, and focus on an object 20 feet away
- Ensure your diet includes sufficient amounts of Vitamin A and Omega-3s
If you have specific questions about addressing dry eye, consult with your eye care professional for personalized recommendations tailored to your symptoms.
* Barbara Caffery, Sruthi Srinivasan, Christopher J. Reaume, Aren Fischer, David Cappadocia, Csaba Siffel, Clara C. Chan, Prevalence of dry eye disease in Ontario, Canada: A population-based survey, The Ocular Surface, Volume 17, Issue 3, 2019, Pages 526-531, ISSN 1542-0124, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtos.2019.02.011.
