Common Causes of Dry Eyes

Lots of factors can leave your eyes feeling dry, itchy, and irritated. Changing weather conditions or additional back to school and office screen time demands could be the cause of your dry eye problems.

To resolve your dry eye problems this fall and winter, get in touch with the expert ophthalmologists at Smart Eye Care of Brooklyn, New York. Our medical team offers testing, diagnosis, and treatment plans for new and existing patients with dry eyes.

What causes dry eyes?

Your eyes need a ready supply of natural tears to stay lubricated. The regular spread of tears across the surface of your eyes, aided by your blinking, helps protect your eyes from infection and keep them clear of debris.

With age, your eyes tend to produce less fluid, leaving them under-lubricated. Other factors can also cause you to develop dry eye problems, including:

• Too many hours spent in front of the harsh lights of a computer or smartphone screen
• Environmental factors in the air around you, including your exposure to air conditioning
• Excess regular consumption of caffeine or alcohol
• Over-regular use of contact lenses

Hormonal changes, as experienced during pregnancy, can also cause dry eyes for some women.

Dry eyes aren’t just uncomfortable — they can come with health risks, as well. In addition to symptoms, such as feeling of grittiness or something in your eye, blurred vision, and excessive eye watering, you could face other complications. Untreated, severe dry eyes can cause abrasion of your corneal surface and vision loss.

Treatment options to protect your eyes

The team at Smart Eye Care starts by examining your natural tear production and reviewing your medical history, looking at factors in your background and lifestyle that could explain your dry eye problem. Once we have a diagnosis for your dry eyes, we can work with you to put together a customized treatment plan to restore your comfort and protect your vision.

Depending on the causes for your dry eyes, you could benefit from over-the-counter or prescription artificial tears to support your eye lubrication. We may also recommend lifestyle changes, including to your work and dietary habits, to address the root cause of your dry eye problems.

Some patients at Smart Eye Care opt for punctal plugs as another potential solution. In this procedure, our doctors insert small plugs into the openings of the tear ducts at the corners of your eyes. After this minor, outpatient surgical treatment, your eyes can fully benefit from the total volume of your natural tears, without losing any moisture toward the back of your nose and throat.

For help with your dry eyes this fall, contact Smart Eye Care today. You can book an appointment at our New York City, New York offices by giving us a call, or with the online tool.