Dry Eye Disease: What to Know about Symptoms, Causes, and Treatment

Dry, irritated eyes are more than just an occasional annoyance. For many people, dry eye can become a persistent condition that affects comfort, concentration, and even the quality of vision. At Eyes on Dover, we help patients understand the causes of dry eye and find personalized solutions for healthier, more comfortable eyes.

If you're searching for an eye doctor in Westlake for dry eye concerns, we're here to help!

What Is Dry Eye?

Dry eye occurs when your eyes don't produce enough tears, your tears evaporate too quickly, or the tears aren't able to adequately protect and lubricate the surface of your eyes. Because a healthy tear film is essential for comfortable eyes and clear vision, disruption to that tear film can cause a variety of symptoms.

Dry eye disease is a complicated condition with many different causes. Even signs and symptoms can vary greatly from patient to patient. In fact, some patients present with significant signs of dryness but they don't have any complaints, while others have very uncomfortable eyes but much less clinical signs of dryness.

Dry eye can affect people of all ages and is unfortunately becoming more common. Digital screen use, contact lenses, aging, certain medications and medical conditions, environmental conditions, and other factors can all contribute to dry eye symptoms.

Common Dry Eye Symptoms

Dry eye doesn't always feel the way you might expect. In fact, watery eyes can be a symptom of having dryness and is a complaint we hear often. The eye produces two types of tears: basal and reflexive tears. When the surface of your eyes becomes irritated, your eyes may respond by producing excess reflexive tears. The problem is reflexive tears evaporate more quickly and do not provide the same stability that basal tears do.

Common dry eye symptoms include, but are not limited to:

• Sandy or gritty feeling in the eyes
• Red, irritated eyes
• Tearing or watering
• Eyes feeling tired or fatigued
• Intermittent blurred vision
• Light sensitivity

What Causes Dry Eye?

Dry eye disease is a multifactorial condition with a wide variety of causes. Some of these include:

• Screen use: When we focus on screens, we actually blink less frequently. The act of blinking spreads tears across the surface of the eye, so when we blink less, we are not replenishing tears on our eyes.

• Underlying medical conditions and medications: some medical conditions are linked to dry eyes and so are some medications. Allergy medications like Claritin and even the oral birth control pill (among many other medications) are linked to dryness.

• Environmental factors: Wind, dry air, heating, air conditioning, and even sleeping under a fan can all increase tear evaporation, leading to the eyes feeling dry. Spending significant time in these environments may make dry eye symptoms more noticeable. Did you know CPAP machines also can cause dryness due to the constant flow of air that can make it's way into the tear duct and directly onto the eyes.

• Contact lens wear: Because contacts sit directly on the surface of the eyes, they can cause disruption to the tear film. Finding a contact lens that fits well on your eye is incredibly imporant to help mitigate this impact. Our eye doctor here in Westlake can evaluate whether your contact lenses may be contributing to your symptoms and can discuss appropriate alternatives. This is also why a contact lens fitting, with a doctor evaluating contacts on your eyes, is so important!

• Age and hormonal changes: Unfortunately, dryness tends to become worse as we get older and hormonal changes can impact tear production and tear quality.

When Should You See an Eye Doctor for Dry Eye?

Occasional dryness may be temporary, but frequent or persistent symptoms shouldn't be ignored. Dry eye can interfere with everyday activities and may contribute to fluctuating or intermittently blurry vision. Severe dry eyes can also contribute to significant problems and in severe cases even scarring.

Consider scheduling an eye exam if you regularly experience:

• Gritty or sandy-feeling eyes
• Redness or irritation
• Excessive watering
• Eye fatigue
• Intermittent blurry vision
• Discomfort when wearing contact lenses
• Symptoms that are affecting your daily activities

A comprehensive evaluation can help determine whether dry eye is contributing to your symptoms and whether additional treatment or lifestyle changes may be appropriate.

Personalized Dry Eye Care in Westlake, OH

At Eyes on Dover, we believe eye care should be personal. As a private practice optometry office and optical boutique in Westlake, Ohio, we take the time to understand your symptoms, lifestyle, visual needs, and overall eye health.

If you're looking for an eye doctor in Westlake, OH, our team can evaluate your eyes and help you understand your options for managing dry eye symptoms.

You don't have to simply put up with eyes that feel dry, gritty, tired, or irritated.

What Does a Dry Eye Evaluation Look Like?

Often we like to see patients for a comprehensive eye exam first, where we can take a global look at everything going on, including medications, medical conditions, environmental factors, and any treatments you've already tried. First-line treatments include warm compresses and over-the-counter artificial tears. (Our eye doctor likes to remind everyone to avoid drops like Visine and Clear Eyes- we don't need anything claiming to remove redness!)

When we bring you in for a dedicated dry eye exam, we'll review any changes from your last visit and do some additional testing to evaluate the quality of your tear film, how quickly they evaporate, and the status of your tear glands. 

Next, we'll diagnose the type of dry eye you have. Accurate diagnosis drives treatment options. Not all types of dryness can be improved by the same type of artificial tears. This is when you will receive personalized recommendations on how to manage your dryness. Beyond warm compresses and artificial tears, there are many additional treatment methods such as prescription eye drops, punctal plugs, and even amniotic membranes for severe cases!

Ongoing follow ups are necessary to ensure proper management of your dryness and improve outcomes.

Take the First Step Toward More Comfortable Eyes

If you're experiencing symptoms of dry eye, schedule an appointment with our eye doctor at Eyes on Dover in Westlake, OH. Our goal is to provide thoughtful, individualized eye care that helps you see comfortably and clearly.

Give us a call at 440-256-6894 to schedule an exam today!

Eyes on Dover — personalized eye care and an optical boutique serving Westlake, OH and the surrounding communities.