Dry eye disease/syndrome is a common tear film disorder and it is affecting many people, especially those who are older than the age of 40 years. About 25-30 million people are affected in the United States. This disease can affect any individual and is more commonly found in women compared to men. This article gives information about dry eye disease.
Causes of Dry Eye Disease
The following are some of the causes of the dry eye syndrome:
- Excessive tear evaporation.
- Decreased tear production.
- An abnormality in the lipids or mucous production.
- Some medications like antidepressants, antihistamines, oral contraceptives and beta-blockers may decrease the production of tears.
- If blinking of the eye is decreased or if there is difficulty in closing eyelids, the eyes may dry out due to tear evaporation.
- Certain conditions like Bell’s palsy or stroke, make your eyes difficult to close. As a result, tears evaporate and makes your eye dry.
- When you watch TV, read or perform any task which requires close attention and you may not blink your eye as often.
- Chemical burns to the eye or different autoimmune diseases like cicatricial pemphigoid (erosive skin lesions on the skin and mucus membrane) and Stevens-Johnson syndrome (hypersensitivity complex which affects the mucous membranes and the skin) can be the cause.
- This results in abnormal mucin production which leads to poor spreading of the tears over the eye surface.
- The eye surface can become dry and may get damaged.
Symptoms of Dry Eye Disease
The following are some of the symptoms:
- Gritty/scratchy, filmy or dry feeling in the eye
- Itching or burning in the eye
- Blurred vision
- Redness of the eye
- Light sensitivity
- You feel that some foreign particle is present in the eye
Symptoms worsen in windy conditions, in dry conditions, with lower humidity, with higher temperatures, with prolonged use of eyes (for example watching TV, reading) and towards the end of the day.
