Your eyes consist of tear films of water, mucus, and oils making up the tears. Together they create a film in the fluid membrane that assists your vision and prevents dry eye. Tear glands are responsible for tear production, and the imbalance in this process leads to this condition. 

Causes of Dry Eye

Several conditions and diseases cause dry eye, including the following:

Aging and Menopause

Dry eyes can affect people of different ages, but it is more predominant in people over 50. At this age, tear production declines, especially in women going through menopause. They must contend with hormonal imbalances that cause several issues.

In this case, the remedy for dry eye is hormone replacement treatment that helps in tear production.

Medical Conditions

Various medical conditions, such as Sjogren’s syndrome, can cause dry eye disease. The autoimmune disorder attacks the salivary and tear glands, leading to dry eye. Another condition is blepharitis, which clogs and inflames the oil glands in the eye.

Treatment of these diseases involves prescription or over-the-counter lubricating eye drops. In some cases, the doctor may prescribe steroid eye drops. If these do not work, you may need surgery, which involves the insertion of silicone plugs in the tear ducts. Doing this helps preserve or slow the drainage and evaporation of tears.

Other medical conditions in this category include diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, scleroderma, lupus, and sarcoidosis. There is also vitamin A deficiency and graft versus host disease. Some of these illnesses are autoimmune, and treatment involves corticosteroids or an immunosuppressant.

Contact Lenses
 

Contact lenses help correct your vision but can also cause chronic dry eye. Some of them can disrupt the movement of oxygen to the cornea, reducing lubrication. The best option is to switch to eyeglasses. Alternatively, seek advice from your doctor about contact lenses specific to dry eyes.

Tear Solution Imbalance

The tear film in your eye has three layers. These are the top, middle, and inner layers. The top level consists of oil that helps slow the evaporation of tears, keeping your eyes moist. Substandard oil levels leave your tears vulnerable to quick evaporation.

The middle layer of the tear solution has salt and water and is the thickest of the three. It helps lash away impurities and irritants that can cause eye dryness. Issues in this layer may result in the instability of the tear film. 

Too thin of a layer may cause the others to merge, causing subsequent stringy discharge, characteristic of dry eyes. The inner layer has mucus that allows the tear solution to spread evenly over your eye. Problems here affect the cornea by forming dry patches.

Treatments

The ideal medical treatment for dry eye involves prescription medicines like:
 

• Nasal sprays that you need to use twice a day.

• Eyelid inflammation medicines may include oral, eye drops, or ointment antibiotics.

• Autologous blood serum eye drops are ideal once you exhaust all possible treatments.

• Cornea inflammation eye drops that consist of corticosteroids or immune-suppressing medicines.

• Tear-stimulating medications or cholinergic. These are available as gels, pills, or eye drops.

• Eye inserts that function as artificial tears.

For more information on the causes of dry eye and how to prevent it, visit San Marino Optometry at our office in San Marino, California. Call (626) 415-3600 to book an appointment today. We proudly serve the San Marino, San Gabriel, and Arcadia communities.