What Is Dry Eye Disease?
What Is Dry Eye Disease?
What Is Dry Eye Disease?
What Is Dry Eye Disease?
Dry eye disease is a fairly common condition and is likely to affect women more than men. It occurs when there is a problem with the quality or quantity of tear production. You may have inadequate or unstable tears, causing your eye's surface to dry. If you have contact lenses on, dry eyes can become very uncomfortable.
Dry eye disease can lead to other ocular conditions developing. One such condition is corneal abrasions because of poor ocular lubrication. Dry eye disease symptoms may appear like seasonal allergies, thus, diagnosing the condition on your own may be a bit challenging. If you notice the symptoms persist over time, it is best to see an eye doctor.
Dry Eye Disease
Dry eye disease occurs when your tears cannot efficiently lubricate your ocular surface. It is because of different causes, but it happens in two ways—your tears either become unstable or inadequate. The various causes lead to one of the two scenarios. To understand this better, you need to know how tears function.
How Do Tears Function?
Every time you blink, your eyelids spread a new tear film over your eyes. The tear film lubricates the eye's surface so that your eyelids float over it effortlessly. They also help your eyes refract light more effectively. A normal tear film usually has three main layers:
Lipid Layer
The first and topmost layer is the lipid layer produced by meibomian glands. It covers the other layers, ensuring they do not evaporate quickly. It also keeps the eye's surface smooth.
Aqueous Layer
The aqueous layer is the middle layer of the tear film and is the most abundant of the three. It helps keep the eye's surface clean by washing away debris. The lacrimal glands produce this layer in the eyelids.
Mucin Layer
The mucin or mucus layer of the tear film helps spread the aqueous layer across the eye's surface. It enables the other layers to stick to the eyes. It is produced in the conjunctiva, the white part of the eye.
Symptoms of Dry Eye
Scratchy, burning, or stinging sensation in the eye
Stringy discharge
Light sensitivity
Redness
Gritty feeling in the eye
Watery eyes due to eye irritation
Eye fatigue or blurry vision
Causes of Dry Eye Disease
As mentioned earlier, two scenarios can lead to the development of dry eye disease, inadequate tears and unstable tears. Here is how the two cause the disease:
Inadequate Tears
Dry eye disease develops when your eyes cannot produce enough tears, specifically the aqueous layer. This type of dry eye disease is also called keratoconjunctivitis sicca. It can occur due to several reasons, such as aging, underlying medical conditions, side effects of medications, or nerve damage from laser surgery.
Most of these are permanent and require continuous treatment. However, dry eye disease caused by damage from laser surgery usually resolves after some time.
Unstable Tears
Tears usually become unstable when the lipid layer is insufficient or lacking. Without the lipid layer protecting the tear film, it will evaporate too quickly. It usually happens when the meibomian glands become blocked by thick oil or impurities.
Unstable tears can occur due to blepharitis, low blink rate, eyelid issues, eye allergies, wind or dry air, and vitamin A deficiency.
For more information on dry eye disease, contact Dr. Richard E. Hults & Associates at our offices in Canton, Akron, Fairview Park, or Elyria, Ohio. Call (330) 252-7616, (330) 252-7457, (440) 755-2857, or (440) 687-6055 to book an appointment today.
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