Dry eye is due to your eyes not producing enough tears or the tears, which are produced, do not have the proper chemical composition. Thus, dry eye can either be a quality or quantity problem.
If you have dry eye, your symptoms may include stinging, burning, scratchiness or a feeling of ‘something in your eye’. Surprisingly, increased tearing may also be a symptom of dry eye. If the basic tear secretion is below normal, excess tears are produced in response to the irritation. Even though the eye is basically dry, overflow tearing can occur, masking the dryness which caused them in the first place.
Normally, tear production decreases with age. Dry eye can also be caused by blinking problems, menopause, medications (i.e. antihistamines, oral contraceptives, antidepressants), environmental, and general health problems such as arthritis or Sjogren's disease. Chronic dry eye can interfere with successful contact lens wear, cause blurred and uncomfortable vision and may result in scarring to the front surface of your eye.
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