Causes of Dry Eyes Symptoms, Dry Eye Syndrome, Dry Red Eye Relief Treatments

Healthy eyes produce tears, which cover them with a mistiness. A decline in tear gland production or an imbalance in your tear mixture is what causes dry eyes.

Your tears are composed of more than just water. They are a complex mixture of stuff that maintains smoothness of an eye’s surface.  So with dry eyes, not only does the quantity of your tears matter, but the composition as well.

An occasional bout with dry eye discomfort is common.  And if you wear contacts, a session of eye dryness is undoubtedly a cause for annoyance.

The appropriate make and amount of tears is indispensable for ideal eye lubrication.  Symptoms you’ll likely experience with your “out of whack” tears are:

So what might be the cause of your dry eyes?  Well, there are a number of circumstances that contribute to arid eyes, like:

Another situation that may be causing or contributing to your dried out eyes are these medical conditions:

Certain drugs can also be the cause for your dry eyes, for instance:

Environmental conditions can cause an eye drying effect or make dried eyes feel worse, such as

  • sun
  • wind
  • smoke
  • dry climate
  • high altitude
  • hot blowing air
  • air conditioning
  • chlorine in swimming pools
  • flying on a commercial airplane
  • fewer blinks caused by visual concentration ~ reading, computer work, driving

If your tear glands produce too few tears, then you have dry eye syndrome.  Dry eye syndrome often happens to otherwise healthy folks.

Relief treatment for dry eyes depends on the cause for dryness discomfort.  You might try combating your dry eye syndrome with some of these lifestyle adjustments and home remedy relievers:

  • use swimming goggles
  • purposefully blink more
  • wear glasses on windy days
  • moisture chamber glasses eyewear
  • artificial tears ~ drops or ointments
  • avoid smoke, direct wind, air conditioning
  • regularly rest eyes by closing eyelids periodically
  • blepharitis ~ cleaning with diluted solution of baby shampoo
  • add moisture to air with humidifier ~ especially during winter
  • high dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids may lower dry eye risk ~ unconfirmed

For mild dry eye conditions, OTC artificial tears do offer relief. Here are a couple things to consider before buying your lubricating product of choice:

  • contains no preservatives ~ use as often as needed
  • contains preservatives ~ only use four times a day max
  • eye drop ointments may cause blurriness ~ bedtime best to use
  • don’t use eye relief drops with a redness remover ~ worsens dry eye symptoms

Also, try lubricating with your eye relief remedy before you embark on an activity that has a history of causing dry eyes.

In the event you can’t get dry eye relief no matter what you do, an eye specialist has further treatment options, including:

Now and then dry eyes usually won’t cause any permanent eye damage.  However, prolonged symptoms need an eye health specialist glimpse for cause and effective relief treatment because lingering dryness can lead to abrasions or cornea damage.

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