Dry eye symptoms are common. If they occur daily for more than 3 months, they should be evaluated by an ophthalmologist or optometrist. Dry eyes can have many causes, including medications, inflammatory conditions affecting the eye surface, thyroid eye disease, blockage of the eyelid oil glands (Meibomianitis), poor blinking, and Sjögren’s disease.
Symptoms vary and may include a gritty or sandy feeling, frequent blinking, difficulty wearing contact lenses, blurred vision, or excessive tearing. The symptoms of dry eye correlate poorly with the assessed severity of the condition, thus some people with Sjögren’s can have minimal symptoms yet have quite severe dryness of the eye surface.
An ophthalmologist or optometrist can diagnose dry eyes with a few simple tests, including:
- Schirmer’s test, which measures the amount of tears produced over 5 minutes.
- Ocular Surface Staining, which assesses for ocular damage caused by chronic and excessive dryness.
- Tear Film Break-Up Time test, which assesses the integrity of the tear film that protects and moisturizes the surface of the eye.
The treatment of dry eyes has a variety of options, including artificial tears, medicated drops, tear gels, special scleral lenses, supplements and in some cases a simple surgical procedure. For more information of the treatment of dry eyes, see Management of Dry Eyes.
