What is the main cause of dry eyes?

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asked Aug 18, 2023 in Eye Health by Arwelch (1,970 points)
What is the main cause of dry eyes?

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answered Aug 19, 2023 by LynnTerry (15,440 points)
The main and most common cause of dry eyes is meibomian gland dysfunction.

This means the glands in your eyelids that produce the outer, oily layer of your tear film don't work properly.

As a result, the oily layer is unstable and can't protect the watery layer from drying up.

Other causes of dry eyes are a dry indoor environment and not blinking enough.

Dry eyes are almost always a serious problem because burning, itchy, sensitive eyes affect every aspect of your daily life.

But dry eyes can become a truly serious condition that ultimately causes vision loss.

To quickly fix dry eyes put some lubricating eye drops in each eye a few times a day or use artificial tears.

You can even try using an onion and cutting it up to get the tears going which will also naturally lubricate your eyes.

To permanently get rid of dry eyes naturally stay hydrated, consume a healthy diet including Omega 3, increase your intake of vitamin A, B12 and D and use some lubricating eye drops or artificial tears.

Medicated eye drops that are unopened last for 2 years and opened medicated eye drops usually last 30 days to a few months.

Using drops past their listed expiration date can lead to irritation, inflammation, and even an eye infection.

The chemical compound of eye drops may change and lose potency over time.

It is important to discard drops at the proper date to ensure no further usage and keep your eyes safe.

You can use eye drops indefinitely although you should not use the eye drops long term or everyday as doing so can put your eyes health at risk.

Use eye drops only when needed as eye drops are meant to be a temporary fix.

If you don't have eye drops and need to moisturize your eyes you can apply a damp cloth over your eyes, try to cry to create natural tears, eat some spicy or hot foods that can make you cry.

Also try blinking more and using a humidifier.

However you should also use some artificial tears eye drops to help prevent your eyes from getting too dry.

If left untreated dry eye can be pretty serious and lead to corneal ulcers, abrasion of the corneal surface, inflammation of the eyes and even in some cases vision loss if the dry eye gets serious enough.

You should always treat dry eye and see an eye doctor if your dry eye does not improve from doing things at home for the dry eye.

Dry eye can be serious if it does not go away as our eyes need proper lubrication and moisture or we can suffer from burning eyes, red eyes, itchy eyes and possible blurred vision.

If left untreated, severe dry eyes may lead to eye inflammation, abrasion of the corneal surface, corneal ulcers and vision loss.

Decreased quality of life. Dry eyes can make it difficult to perform everyday activities, such as reading.

Crying does help with dry eyes.

Your tears are a natural eye lubricator and moisturizer so by crying or creating tears you can help get rid of your dry eyes.

Saline is not really good for dry eyes as it can sometimes actually make the condition worse.

However you want to use a lubricating eye drop to lubricate your eyes with which are known as artificial tears.

Artificial tears are eyedrops used to lubricate dry eyes and help maintain moisture on the outer surface of your eyes.

Such eyedrops may be used to treat dry eyes that result from aging, certain medications, a medical condition, eye surgery or environmental factors, such as smoky or windy conditions.

B12 can cause dry eyes when you're lacking the B12 vitamin.

Having a B12 deficiency is associated with severe dry eye and eye pain.

B12 does help with eyesight and can help prevent macular degeneration which is a condition in which your retina deteriorates over time, causing blurry vision.

When you see cobwebs in your eyes it means that the Vitreous "which is a jelly like material in your eyes" becomes more liquid.

And when this happens the microscopic collagen fibers within the vitreous tend to clump together.

These bits of debris cast tiny shadows onto your retina, and you perceive these shadows as eye floaters.

Strings, blobs, and cobwebs: they all describe types of specks that may appear to float across your field of vision.

These "floaters" are usually just a nuisance.

"In many cases, floaters become less noticeable or more tolerable over time, and can even disappear entirely.

Although cobwebs are a common floater type, you may see more of them after a detachment.

It may also appear as if you are viewing the world through a mist.

Keep in mind that a sudden increase in floaters, a decrease in vision, and flashing lights can be signs of a retinal detachment.

The floaters often subside starting within a few days, and all but a few settle to the bottom of the eye and disappear within a 6-month period. Some residual floaters can be seen for life.

If the floaters are a major nuisance or severely hinder your vision, the best way to get rid of them is through either vitrectomy or the use of lasers.

A vitrectomy is a procedure in which your doctor will remove the gel-like substance (vitreous) that keeps the shape of your eye round.

They mainly don't negatively impact vision and are more of an occasional annoyance.

In time, you may even learn to ignore them even if they don't disappear entirely.

As a result, treatment is rarely recommended for common floaters if they aren't impacting vision significantly.

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