Dry Eye Symptom Relief

Dry eye is more common than most people think. It is estimated to affect nearly 20 million people per year in the US alone. As a matter of fact it is the most common reason a person visits an optometrist. The article will explain dry eye and offer some tips to get relief.

First, you need to understand how a person gets a dry eye in the first place. Dry eye occurs when there is a change in the health of your tear producing glands. This makes it more difficult to produce tears. Once this happens your eye cannot provide the tear film it needs to cover the eye and protect it. That causes dry eye.

Second, symptoms are not always constant. They may come and go throughout the day, but generally include the following: itching, irritation, burning, sensitivity to light, blurred vision, and of course dryness.

Third, you need to be cautious of things that can make dry eye worse. Allergy season for example is a big one. Certain vitamin deficiencies and thyroid conditions are also a factor. I have a problem with dry eye at times because I wear contacts. I have also read research where other medications you may be taking can cause dry eye. If this happens your dry eye will go away when you stop the medication.

So what you do to combat dry eye? You will want to start off with artificial tears for immediate relief. You can find these at any drug store and are sold over the counter. Most contact users like myself carry around a bottle in our purse to use as needed. Of course I don't have a severe case of dry eye.

You may also want to get tested. Most doctors will diagnose dry eye without a test, but you can measure the amount of tears in your eyes. A thin strip of filter paper placed at the edge of the eye, called a Schirmer test, is one way of measuring this.