What is Dry Eyes?

Most of the people might have encountered with the situation that often causes feeling of irritation or the reduction in the tears from our eyes. This situation might seems insubstantial at this point of time, but when persists from longer duration can cause severe disorders of the eye. This condition of eye in which the irritation and lack of lubrication persists is known as DRY EYES.

There are a lot of factors that causes dry eyes but majorly Dry eye syndrome is caused by a chronic lack of sufficient lubrication and moisture on the surface of the eye. In common language dry eyes is also being called as dry eye syndrome, dry eye disease, or simply dry eye. Dry eye syndrome is the most common eye disease to visit the doctor. Researchers have shown that the prevalence of dry eyes ranges from 5 percent to as high as 50 percent in different populations across the world.

In addition to being called as dry eye syndrome, it is often described as the following in medical terms -

• Keratitis Sicca - It is the term used to describe dryness and inflammation of the cornea.
• Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca - It is used to describe dry eye that affects both the cornea and theconjunctiva of the eye.
• Dysfunctional Tear Syndrome - This term is used to indicate that inadequate quality of tears can be just as important as inadequate quantity.

Consequences of dry eyes range from subtle but constant eye irritation to significant inflammation and even scarring of the front surface of the eye.

• People with dry eye may experience a stinging or burning sensation in their eye, or feel as if something is caught in their eye. The affected eye may be red and painful or emit a stringy discharge.
• People with dry eye also sometimes experience blurred vision or their eyes may get tired easily, especially when reading or using a computer.

Dry eye occurs when the quantity and/or quality of tears fails to keep the surface of the eye adequately lubricated. Tears are necessary for maintaining the health of the front surface of the eye and for providing clear vision. With each blink of the eye, tears widens across the front surface of the eye, known as the cornea. Tears provide lubrication, reduce the risk of eye infection, carry away the foreign matter or dust particle in the eye and also keep the surface of the eyes smooth and clear.

Excess tears in the eyes flow into small drainage ducts in the inner corners of the eyelids, which drain into the back of the nose. Dry eyes can occur when tear production and drainage is not in balance. Fans, wind, and hair dryers can also be the contributors to the eyes dry. People with dry eye should avoid too much air movement from these devices. Sunglasses may help protect the eyes from wind when outside.

People with dry eyes either do not produce enough tears or their tears are of a poor quality:

• Insufficient amount of tears - Tears are produced by various glands in and around the eyelids. Tear production tends to decrease with advancing age, with various medical conditions or as a side effect of certain medicines. Environmental conditions, can also be the reason, such as wind and dry climates, also decrease tear volume due to increased tear evaporation. When the normal amount of tear production decreases or tears evaporate too quickly from the eyes, symptoms of dry eye can prevail.
• Poor quality of tears - Tears are made up of three layers: oil, water and mucus. Each component protects and nourishes the cornea that is the front surface of eye. A smooth oil layer helps in preventing evaporation of the water layer, while the mucus layer spreads the tears widely over the surface of the eye. If the tears evaporate too quickly or do not spread evenly over the cornea due to deficiencies with any of the three tear layers, dry eye symptoms can develop.

Dry eye is a common and often chronic problem, particularly in older adults. Scientific research has estimated that dry eye affects millions of adults in the United States. The risk of developing dry eye increases with increasing age. Women have a higher prevalence of dry eye compared withmen according to the research.

Conclusion

In common language dry eyes is also known as dry eye syndrome and is caused by a chronic lack of sufficient lubrication and moisture on the surface of the eye. People with dry eyes can have either poor quality tears or the problem of insufficient amount of tears that often causes the irritation, itching and scratching in eyes.