Causes of Chronic Dry Eyes
Health

Causes of Chronic Dry Eyes

Dry eye is a common condition that occurs when your tear ducts are not able to produce enough lubrication to keep your eyes moist. Your tears are a mixture of water, fatty oils, and mucus. They help to keep your eyes moist, clear, smooth and away from infection. There are various reasons that contribute as to why the tears are inadequate and the condition of dry eyes is caused. This condition makes you feel uncomfortable to carry out daily activities as your eyes tend to sting or burn. The major signs and symptoms of dry eyes include redness of eyes, burning sensation, stinging eyes, sensitivity to light, a sensation that you have something in your eyes, difficulty in wearing contact lenses, difficulty driving during the night, blurred vision, your eyes feeling tired or irritated. The condition of dry eyes occurs when there is a decrease in the production of tears, or increase in the evaporation of tears, or imbalance in the composition of tears. These are the three major causes of dry eyes which themselves are caused due to different reasons that are mentioned below-

Decreased production of tears
This is one of the most common causes of dry eyes. There are various reasons that can lead to decrease in the production of tears. Some of the common causes that lead to decrease in the production of tears are-

  • Aging
  • Medical conditions like diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disorders, lupus, scleroderma, Sjogren’s syndrome, vitamin A deficiency, etc.
  • Even certain medications that are used for birth control, hormone replacement therapy, to fight depression, high blood pressure, to cure acne, etc. can lead to decrease in the production of tears as its side-effect.
  • Laser surgery is also one that leads to decrease in the production of tears. However, usually, this symptom is temporary.
  • Inflammation or radiation can cause tear gland damage as well.

Imbalance in tear composition
As the tears are composed of a mixture of oil, water, and mucus; any problems in any of the composition of tears can cause dry eyes. Clogging of the glands that produce any of these compositions can lead to dry eyes. The Meibomian glands are responsible for producing the oils that are a part of your tears. People who have conditions like rosacea, blepharitis and similar conditions tend to have blocked Meibomian glands.

Increase in the evaporation of tears
Evaporation of tears is also one of the common causes of chronic dry eyes. The common causes of increase in the evaporation of tears are-

  • Wind, smoke, dry air, and such environmental factors.
  • Eyelid problems like out-turning of eyelids or in-turning of eyelids.
  • Blinking less often. This usually happens when you are glued to the screen or occupied with some activities like reading or driving.

Also, there are various risk factors that can cause the condition of dry eyes. The common risk factors are contact lens, too much screen time, menopause, dry indoor or outdoor environment, frequent flying, smoking, etc. The best possible way to prevent the condition of dry eyes is to avoid these risk factors as much as possible.