Dry eye is something that millions of people suffer through daily. It can make it difficult to wear contacts, hard to see what you are doing, and can cause pain and discomfort. There are plenty of reasons that you might be suffering from dry eye. Taking the time to have your dry eye condition properly diagnosed can make a big difference in the type of treatment you receive to mediate your symptoms. For those looking for eye care in Hawthorne or Gardena, Century Eye Care Medical has you covered.
Top Five Causes of Dry Eye
The first and most common cause of dry eye is eye fatigue. Looking at digital screens for prolonged periods of time can cause a great deal of stress on your eyes. When your eyes are overly fatigued, they cannot produce the tear layer necessary to remain moist and comfortable.
The second common cause is allergies. Seasonal allergies account for many cases of dry eye. As the allergy season wears on, the more allergies you are facing, the worse your dry eye may become. The dry eye that is the result of allergies can often be treated with medicated eye drops or with allergy medication.
Another common cause of dry eye is the long-term use of contact lenses. Though contacts today are designed to be breathable to allow proper moisture levels in the eye, years of use can easily change the surface of the eye and lead to dry eye and the problems that go along with it.
Dehydration might also be a cause for your dry eye. When the body is dehydrated, or in the process of becoming dehydrated, it searches for moisture anywhere that it can. The eye's natural tear layer is easy targets and this layer of moisture often dries up first.
The last cause may be a medical condition. In some cases, you can have eye surgery to correct these conditions, but when the cause is a medication that has taken to treat an ongoing medical condition you have, there are few permanent solutions. Still, there are many over-the-counter and prescription treatments that may be able to return moisture to your eyes.