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Dry eyes are a chronic lack of lubrication and moisture on the surface of the eye. Tears are essential to keep your eyes healthy, comfortable, and seeing well.

So, what do tears do? Tears bathe the eye’s surface to keep it moist and wash away dust, debris, and microorganisms that can lead to infection and damage the cornea.

A normal tear film consists of three components:

1. Oil (lipid) layer – seals the tear film which helps reduce evaporation of our natural tears.
2. Water (aqueous) layer – lubricates the eye, washes away debris and prevents infection.
3. Mucin layer – allows the water layer to spread evenly over the surface of the eye and helps keep the eye moist and lubricated.

The results of dry eye can range from subtle to significant and if untreated, can lead to scarring on the surface of the eye. In addition to being called “dry eye,” other terms used to describe dry eyes include:

• Keratitis sicca – used to describe dryness and inflammation of the cornea.
• Keratoconjunctivitis sicca – used to describe a dry eye that affects both the cornea and the conjunctiva.
• Dysfunctional tear syndrome – used to emphasize that poor quality of tears can be just as important as low quantity.

In most cases, dry eyes can be managed successfully. Treatment usually results in greater comfort, fewer dry eye symptoms, and sometimes, sharper vision.

Dry eye can have a number of causes, and a variety of treatments. Your eye doctor may have you complete a questionnaire about your symptoms prior to initiating dry eye treatment. Your answers to this survey are then used as a baseline, and the questionnaire may be administered again after several weeks of treatment to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment.

To learn more about dry eye, click https://www.allaboutvision.com/conditions/dryeye.htm.