#167: What Causes Dry Eyes? Part 2

Aug 10, 2022

In the clinic, I get asked this question all day long, "What's causing my eyes to be so dry?" The short answer is that dry eye is multifactorial. It comes from many different causes. Some of the things we have no control over, like your gender and your age. Women, especially those over 40, are more likely to have dry eye than men. And, we can't change our gender or age. But, there are a ton of causes of dry eye that we can control.

Let's talk about what you can take care or change to help our dry eyes. I like to break this down into three parts. I called it the EYE Method. The first is E for eyes. The Y is for Your Health. And, the final E is for the Environment.

Let's look at each part. Last week, I dove in to how the Eyes play a role in causing dry eye disease. If you missed it, check it out here. This week and the next, I'll continue to break down the nitty gritty of managing each of the parts of the EYE Method.

Y is for YOUR HEALTH

Here you take a close look at your own health. Again, I understand that as humans, we have to consider our genes. There are traits and conditions that we have inherited from our families.

However, there are many things you can do in your daily lifestyle to take control over your health. These include: the foods you eat, how much water you drink, your sleep habits and your exercise routine. In fact, there is some new research about exercise increasing tear production. Check out the paper here.

Let's talk about some strategies you can use to improve your health outcomes.

Sleep

Are you getting this sleep that you need? Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep every night. Yes, you need eight hours of sleep. Don't go with less or your eyes will tell you all about it the next day. When I don't get seven or eight hours of sleep, your eyes can ache, sting, burn, and look red. This occurs because you're not resting them and allowing them to repair overnight.

Diet

Diet is about what you're putting in your body. And sometimes, what you're not putting in your body will effect your eye dryness. So hydrate with lots of water. Also we need more omega three fatty acids than you realize. That's something that most American diets are shy of is Omega 3's. We are not eating enough walnuts and the salmon. And so I recommend taking a dry high supplement like hydro eye because it gives our body, the building blocks to make healthy tears.

Systemic Disease

Now, some of your health concerns can be hereditary. The most common diseases that have an effect on dry eye disease are:

Diabetes
Thyroid disease (both low and high)
Autoimmune diseases like: Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, and Sjogren's disease
Allergies

These are the top systemic diseases which cause your body systemic inflammation. is going to put more in your eyes. As you know, dry eye is fueled by inflammation. Doing the best to control your systemic diseases is a great way to decrease dry eye symptoms.

Medications

You may also be taking medications, both over the counter or prescription, because of other ailments. And, these medications can have an effect on dry eyes. Did you know that the antihistamines you take to control your allergies, dry out your eyes.

Other medications like pain relievers, hormone replacement therapy, and even your medication for high blood pressure could cause a decrease in tear production. The end result will be eyes that feel more dry.

CONCLUSION

There you have it. When you learn to take care of your eyes today, your vision will last you a lifetime. Many people feel they can't control their health or their dry eyes. There is so much more to how your body reacts than your heredity. You can learn to take care of your body by eating a healthy diet and getting the proper amount of sleep.

Understanding how your systemic disease affects your dry eyes is important. If you have Sjogren's disease, please be sure to check out the series we did with Dr. Mowad. She provided such a wealth of knowledge about Sjogren's Disease and other autoimmune diseases.

Finally, you can learn how your medications could be affecting your tear production. Many prescription and OTC medications reduce the production of tears. Learning how to manage your health is one of the best steps you can take on your path to dry eye relief.