Don’t Suffer with Dry Eyes

December 1, 2025

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Whether you’re staring at a computer screen all day or reading music under harsh stage lights, your eyes may begin to feel gritty and dry. People who spend hours at a computer screen blink less often and are more susceptible to dry eye. Optimally, we should blink about 15 times a minute or every four seconds.

Wearing contact lenses for an extended period may also reduce tears. Most people can find quick relief by using eye drops. A more serious diagnosis of chronic dry eyes occurs when your eyes cannot maintain a healthy coating of tears after trying simple remedies.

Causes and Contributing Factors

Dry eye syndrome can be caused or worsened by several factors. Eyelid conditions are major culprits; for example, blepharitis (eyelid inflammation) disrupts healthy tear production, while structural problems like ectropion (outward-drooping eyelid) or entropion (inward-turning eyelid) prevent the tears from being properly spread and protected. Additionally, dry eyes may occur following procedures like refractive eye surgery (such as LASIK), which can temporarily reduce tear production or affect corneal nerve sensation.

Many common medications have dry eyes as a side effect. These include diuretics (or “water pills”) and beta-blockers as well as some medications used for allergies and colds (antihistamines), anxiety and anti-
depressants, and heartburn.

Some autoimmune diseases—rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, and lupus—are associated with dry eye syndrome. Dry eyes and a dry mouth are the most common symptoms of Sjogren’s syndrome, which often accompanies immune system disorders.

If you’re experiencing chronic dry eyes, it’s essential to discuss your full medical history and current prescriptions with your eye care professional. Left untreated, dry eye or keratoconjunctivitis, can lead to more serious conditions.

Diagnostic Tests for Dry Eye

For a definitive diagnosis of dry eye syndrome, an eye doctor or ophthalmologist will first conduct a routine eye exam. Specialized tests are then used to evaluate tear quantity and quality. These include the Schirmer’s test to measure the volume of tears produced over five minutes and dye tests to observe the tear film breakup time (how quickly tears evaporate). A tear film osmolarity test may be performed to determine the balance of solutes versus water in the tears. Blood tests and other workups may be ordered to check for underlying conditions.

At-Home Tips to Help Relieve Dryness

• Blinking at regular intervals cleanses the eye.
• Be sure to alternate contacts with glasses. Give your eyes a rest.
• Apply compresses using a clean cloth with warm water. Hold it over closed eyes for five minutes and repeat several times.
• Use artificial tear ointment or thick eye drops at bedtime.
• Use a humidifier to add moisture to the air.
• Protect your eyes from sun and wind with sunglasses.
• Add more omega-3 oils to your diet to improve function of the eye’s meibomian glands, which produce the oily part of tears.

Medical Treatments

Your ophthalmologist will likely begin by recommending artificial tears to stimulate more tear production, either with over-the-counter or prescription medication. If you use artificial tears more than six times a day or are allergic to preservatives, use preservative-free tears.

If you have a more severe case, your ophthalmologist may suggest blocking the tear ducts (puncta). Tiny silicone or gel plugs (punctal plugs) block tears from draining. Plugs can be temporary or permanent.

Thermal pulsation utilizes specialized devices that apply controlled heat and massage to the eyelids to break down obstructions and improve healthy oil secretion from the meibomian glands. Similarly, intense pulsed light (IPL) uses nonlaser light energy on the eyelid skin to unblock the glands, enhance oil secretion, reduce eyelid redness, and decrease visible spider veins. For more persistent blockages, meibomian gland probing is performed to clear the glands of obstructive scar tissue and hardened secretions.

Other procedures target the eyelid surface. Microblepharoexfoliation uses a microsponge to gently exfoliate and remove the biofilm—the accumulation of crusting, bacterial colonies, and mites—that can build up on the eyelashes and contribute to dry eye symptoms.

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