Eyes are funny.  Just about anything that can irritate them will give people the feeling of dryness.  But what exactly is it and why does it feel different at different times?  Dryness is not just one problem, but many different causes that all feel roughly the same.

Dryness can be due to low tear volume, allergies, inflammation, evaporation, pollution, sensitivity to an eye drop or solution, or even contact lenses that do not fit as well as they should.  So with all of these possible causes, how do you figure out what is causing the trouble?

The most effective way to treat dryness is to address the root cause of the problem.  While you may be tempted to use drops to add moisture, you may make things worse, especially if you wear contact lenses.  The testing used to determine the cause of dryness is not necessarily difficult, but does need to be systematic to rule out all of the possible causes.  We will ask about medications that you may be taking, look at the lids, cornea, tear volume and tear stability.  Also effective is to look at indirect problems caused by dryness, such as redness or changes to the front of the eye.

Dryness is typically not the problem, but a symptom.  The most effective way to alleviate dry eye is to target the root of the problem.  If you think you may benefit from testing to determine the nature of your dry eye problem, please do not hesitate to call and schedule an appointment for evaluation.