4 Major Causes of Dry Eyes in Adults

Dry eyes in adults may be the problem if you start experiencing stinging, redness or a gritty feeling in your eyes, or if they seem more sensitive to light or more watery than normal. For most people, dry eyes can be a temporary condition and can go away after a little treatment. But for others, it can be chronic and long-lasting.

Dry eyes, in simple terms, is basically when your tear glands stop producing enough fluid, or it starts evaporating too quickly. It should not be confused with symptoms of allergies such as hay fever.

If you are experiencing any symptoms of dry eyes, then it is highly recommended that you get it checked as soon as possible. The NHS suggests, in the first instance, your local pharmacist may be able to help with dry eyes, offering advice and appropriate over-the-counter medications such as eye drops.  Or they may suggest you see an optician or GP.

But in any event, If the condition continues after trying suggested home treatments for a few weeks, or if there is any change in the shape of your eyelids, you should see an optician or a GP as chronic dry eyes can cause more complications, including double vision and a variety of infections.

In this article, I have mentioned four major causes of dry eyes in adults. Let’s take a look:

Ageing

It is not like young people don’t get dry eyes, it is just the older you are, the more likely you are to get it. Especially if you are fifty plus because at that age tear production declines naturally, and your eyes get dry more often. It is a type of dry eye that you can’t prevent from occurring. However, there are eye droppers available out there that can provide artificial lubrication to your eyes. Using those artificial tears will make sure that your eyes stay coated and you don’t get to experience any unpleasant symptoms of dry eyes.

Too Much Screen Exposure

If you are someone who works on a computer then you must be familiar with the headaches and eye strains it can cause. These are not the only issues that you can get from excessive computer use. Staring at screens for too long affects your tears directly and can evaporate them quickly. In such a case, it is recommended that you blink your eyes more often. You can also use artificial eye lubricant, but you will still have to rest your eyes from time to time. Too much exposure to the screen is not healthy at all.

Side Effects from a Medicine

If you started experiencing dry eyes after you started taking some sort of medication, then there is a chance that it could be a side effect of that. Tears are made from water, oil and mucus. There are medicines out there that decrease the mucus level in humans, and it can lead to dry eyes. Medicines like antidepressants and antihistamines are the ones that can contribute to causing dry eyes. In this case, the wise thing to do is let your doctor know about the side effects of the medication so that they can write you a better alternative.

Wind Exposure

If you are living in a place where it gets windy often, then there is a good chance your dry eye is caused by it. When the wind goes into our eyes, it accelerates the evaporation process of the tears leaving our eyes dry.

Dry eyes caused by wind exposure is particularly common among cyclists and motorcyclists and therefore the importance of wearing appropriate glasses or googles.

For most people exposed to wind, wearing glasses/sunglasses and ensuring you have eye drops with you can alleviate the problem.

A final word of caution: eye drops can be invaluable for people who are prone to dry eyes. But do remember that eye drops should never be used after the stated expiry date or if the bottle has been open for more than six months. Stay safe by clearly writing the date of opening on the bottle to ensure you are not tempted to use any products sitting in your medicine cupboard that should have been safely disposed of!

Article provided on behalf of FloaterLaser

Image credit:

Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay