Dry Eye Causes

To understand the reason behind the dry eye syndrome, we must need to know about the concept of tears and their production because dry eyes often means the tear system is out of proportion.

An appropriate and consistent sheet of tears on the surface of the eye is very important to keep your eyes healthy, comfortable and to wash away dust, debris, microorganisms that could damage the cornea and lead to any kind of eye infection such as dry eye syndrome.

Now here arises a question, if tears are so important for the well being of eyes, what are these tears made of?

A normal film of tears consists of three important components:

  1. An oily (lipid) component
  2. A watery (aqueous) component
  3. A mucous-like (mucin) component

Each component of the tears have a purpose.

Lipid component of the tears helps in preventing the tear film from evaporating too quickly and increase lubrication, while mucin component helps in anchoring and spreading the tears across the surface of the eye.

Each tear component is produced by different glands of or near the eye

  1. The lipid component is produced by meibomian glands in the eyelids.
  2. The watery component is produced by lacrimal glands located behind the outside of the upper eyelids.
  3. The mucin component is produced by goblet cells in the conjunctiva.

A problem with any of these sources of tear film components can result in tear instability and dry eyes. Sometimes, dry eyes create over production of tears. This confusing condition is called reflex tearing. It happens because the lack of moisture can irritate your eye. It sends a wrong signal through your nervous system for more lubrication. Your body sends an ocean of tears to try to make up for the dryness.

There can be many dry eye causes which can develop from various reasons, including:

  1. Age - One of the natural dry eye causes is aging as the dry eyes are a part of the natural aging process. The majority of people over age 65 experience few symptoms of dry eyes.It is more common in people age 50 years orolder.
  2. Medications - Certain medicines, including antihistamines, decongestants, blood pressure medications and antidepressants, can also serve as dry eye causes which reduces the tear production.
  3. Gender - Women are more prone to develop dry eyes due to the hormonal changes caused by pregnancy, the use of oral contraceptives and menopause.
  4. Medical Conditions - People with various diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes and thyroid problems are more likely to have symptoms of dry eyes. Also, problems with inflammation of the eyelids known as blepharitis, inflammation of the surfaces of the eye, or the inward or outward turning of eyelids leads to the dry eye syndrome causes. Laser eye surgery may cause temporary dry eye symptoms.
  5. Environmental Conditions - Various environmental conditions such as exposure to smoke, wind and dry climates can increase tear evaporation resulting in dry eye symptoms. Failure to blink regularly, such as when staring at a computer screen for long periods of time, can also contribute to drying of the eyes. Dry eye causes also includes various appliances such as air conditioner, heater, or other things around you could also dry out your tear film
  6. Computer Use - When working at a computer or using a smartphone or other portable digital device, we tend to blink our eyes less frequently and less fully, which leads to large tear evaporation and increased risk of dry eye causes.
  7. Contact Lens - Dry eye syndrome causes can also include the regular wearing of the contact lens.
  8. Menopause - Post-menopausal women are at greater risk of dry eyes than men of the same age.
  9. Frequent Use of Air Transport - The air in the cabins of airplanes is extremely dry and can lead to dry eye problems, especially among frequent flyers.
  10. Indoor Environment - Air conditioning, ceiling fans and forced air heating systems all can decrease indoor humidity and/or hasten tear evaporation, causing dry eye symptoms.
  11. Outdoor Environment - Arid climates and dry or windy conditions increase dry eye risks.
  12. Smoking - Another dry eye reasons include, smoking has been linked to serious eye problems, including cataracts, uveitis.
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