What You Need To Know About Dry Eye

Many people experience dry eye. Dry eye can be very irritating and painful, which is why it is important to know what to look for in dry eye and what you can do to protect yourself. Here are some things that you need to know about dry eye.

What Does Dry Eye Feel Like?

When you think of dry eye, you might believe that the symptoms would only be having eyes that feel dry. Unfortunately, that is not the case. There are many symptoms to dry eye besides feeling like your eyes are dry. In some cases, you might even have tears running down your eyes and still be experiencing dry eye. This is because tears are not the only lubricant you need to keep your eyes moist. Thus, you can have dry eyes without your eyes feeling super dry. Dry eye is characterized by the feeling of something in your eye like sand, itchy eyes, eyes that sting, and an inability to wear contacts.

What Causes Dry Eye?

Dry eye can be caused from a variety of different things. Some people just experience dry eye chronically because their body doesn't create enough moisture in their eyes. Others might have dry eye during hormonal changes such as menopause, pregnancy, or when taking birth control. You might notice that you get dry eyes if you have seasonal allergies. Allergy medications and allergy eye drops that have antihistamines will dry out your eyes. So what might have started as itchy and watery eyes due to allergies are now itchy and painful eyes because of dry eye. This is why you should use both eye drops for allergies and eye drops for dry eye if you are experiencing seasonal allergies.

What Should You Do To Treat Dry Eye?

Usually you won't need to see a doctor about dry eye unless it becomes severe. There are eye drops that you can use throughout the day that will help your eyes to feel hydrated and can keep your eyes moist. You should also drink a lot of water and avoid wearing contacts overnight. The more you can give your eyes a break from your contacts, the better. If the dry eye gets bad enough, you may want to go off any medications that could be contributing to the problem. This is something to discuss with your doctor.

By understanding dry eye, you can decide what is best for you. Contact a company like Eye Clinic Of Fairbanks for more information.

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