Dry eye disease is a progressive, debilitating condition that can cause significant discomfort and difficulty in performing daily activities. Typically, your eyes produce an adequate amount of good quality tears that keep your eyes lubricated. When your eyes are not making enough tears or the tears they make are low quality, dry eye disease symptoms can occur.
Many different factors, both internal and external, can exacerbate the symptoms of dry eye. Knowing what they are can help you avoid discomfort and seek treatment when necessary.
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Your tears keep your eyes free from bacteria so they can stay comfortable and free from irritants. They are essential to help you see clearly and can help you communicate your emotions.
The lacrimal glands above each eye produce your tears, and they drain into the puncta, holes in the corners of your upper and lower eyelids. The tears then travel through small canals and empty into your nose, where they evaporate or are reabsorbed.
The tear film is the layer of tears that cover the eyes’ surface and keep them lubricated. The tear film is made up of 3 layers:
Often, dry eyes are caused by a lack of high-quality tears. However, many different factors can exacerbate symptoms, some of which you may be able to control.
Some common causes of dry eye include:
If you are experiencing any symptoms of dry eye disease, you should give us a call for a comprehensive eye exam as soon as possible. We can assess your eyes for what is causing your discomfort and recommend an appropriate treatment to alleviate symptoms and give you relief.
If you have any questions, we encourage you to give us a call so we can answer them to the best of our abilities.
Book AppointmentFind us just off Southport Road SW on the west side of Macleod Trail.
There is ample free parking directly outside the professional building.
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A note: if this post looks familiar to you and you’re a newsletter subscriber, that’s because this post was initially released as a newsletter to our patients. If you’d like to sign up for our newsletter, please sign up here. Do you suffer from dry eyes? Have you tried multiple drops and found only temporary […]
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