Dry Eye Syndrome: More Than Just a Nuisance

What Is Dry Eye Syndrome?

Dry eye syndrome—clinically known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca is a decline in the amount or quality of tears that bathe the eyes. Tears protect against eye infections and are important for normal eye health. If your tears are of poor quality for whatever reason your eyes will water excessively to compensate. Pain and redness are not necessarily related to dry eye syndrome, but should be checked by an eye doctor. Although the symptoms of dry eye syndrome can come and go, they become more persistent as the condition worsens.

What Causes Dry Eyes?

Anything that interferes with tear production can lead to dry eye syndrome. Some of the most common causes include:

• Aging
• The tear glands' output slows with age and the quality of tears decline with age.
• Medications
• Antihistamines, decongestants, and drugs used to control blood pressure, Parkinson's disease, and a host of other disorders can slow tear production or change the chemical composition of tears.
• Health problems
• Allergies or illnesses such as Lupus, Sjogren's syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Hyperthyroidism can all cause, or worsen, dry eyes. So can inflammation of the tear-producing glands.
• Environmental conditions
• Wind and dry heat speed the evaporation of tears.
• Lifestyle
• Staring at a computer screen for several hours a day can cause dry eye syndrome. So can driving, reading, and wearing contact lenses, all of which make you stare or blink less frequently. Jogging or skiing without glasses or other eye protection also dries the tear film.

What Are the Symptoms?

The symptoms of dry eye syndrome include:

• Dry eyes that feel gritty
• The sensation of a foreign object in the eye
• Burning sensation
• Sensitivity to bright lights
• Contact lenses that feel uncomfortable
• An inability to produce emotional tears
• Blurred vision