5 Causes of Dry Eyes

Dry eyes are a stubborn and sometimes painful symptom that needs to be addressed by an eye care professional. There are several reasons why someone may be experiencing dry eyes and the solution to the problem may not be as simple as just using lubricating drops.

Here are a few reasons you may be suffering with dry eyes:

1. Too Much Time On Computers: Spending too much time on the computer greatly decreases our blink rate because we are staring at our work or at the internet. Normally, we blink once every 5-8 seconds but when focusing on the computer we only blink once every 15 seconds or so, causing our tears to evaporate faster.
2. Wearing Contact Lenses: Wearing contact lenses which are not suited for you can cause severe irritation and the symptoms of dry eye can get worse. Poorly fitting contact lenses or lenses which are overused and not changed regularly can cause the feeling of constant eye irritation and must be addressed by seeing your Optometrist for a contact lens refit.
3. Air Conditioning/Heating: When sitting in an office environment where the air conditioning is on in the summer or heat in the winter, we may experience dry eyes because the recirculated air tends to become dry. This can cause our skin and hair to become dry while also having an effect on our eyes’ natural tear film.
4. Allergies : Although allergies do not cause dry eye itself, several people complain of itchy red eyes during allergy season and mistake it for dry eye. Lubrication drops may not help in this situation and thus it is important to have your eyes checked by the Optometrist to provide the right eyedrop to help relieve the symptoms of ocular allergy.
5. Medications: Using several kinds of medications for general health issues may have the side effect of dry eye. If you are unsure please bring your medication list with you to your eye exam and the Optometrist can determine if one or more of them are causing the problem.

For healthy tear production and investigation into dry eye, it’s best to consult your Optometrist on a regular basis. At Westway Eyecare we have several tools and equipment at our disposal to help treat your dry eyes, please don’t hesitate to call!