Why Are My Eyes Dry?

My patients often ask me why their eyes are so dry.  They feel like the symptoms may have come on suddenly, but the truth is that it was more likely to be a lot of little things that added up over a long period of time. 

Our bodies are very complex organisms. They have tasks that are being done all day long without us even thinking about it.  In our eyes, the tear film needs to be replenished constantly.  This means that you are continuously producing tears, and they are flowing out of your eyes all day long.

However, there are many reasons why your body will slow the production of the tears it needs.  In my book, Alleviate Dry Eye, Chapter 1 reviews the reasons for not producing enough tears extensively.  If you haven’t done so yet, you can get your copy here.   

There are several main reasons why your body will stop producing a sufficient amount of tears. 

1) Age 

2) Female gender 

3) Diabetes 

4) Autoimmune diseases: Sjogren’s syndrome, Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis to name a few. 

5) Smoking 

6) Contact Lens Wear 

7) Eye surgery 

8) Medications 

 
Dry eye symptoms are worse when you combine more of these factors. It would be very common for a woman in her 50s to wear contact lenses and have allergies.  Oral allergy medications are known to reduce tear production.  

In this example, the patient hit four different categories which all cause a reduced production of tears: age, gender, contact lens wear, and medications.  So, you can see how easily these factors add up and lead to devastating dry eye. 

You don’t need to be in poor health or have a diagnosed disease to have several factors in your life which add up to moderate to severe dry eye.  And, the longer these factors are going on, the more likely it is to have dry eyes.  

On a brighter note, only two of these factors are unchangeable: age and gender.  The rest can be altered and improved.  There are tons of resources to solve each of these other problems listed in Alleviate Dry Eye.  The book includes a free downloadable workbook.  Get it here.  The toolbox sections for each chapter lists resources relevant to the chapter’s content.  Here you would want to concentrate on Chapter 1. 

Take a step today to diminish the effects factors 3 – 8 above, have on your eyes.  There are many things you can do to get your diabetes or autoimmune disease under better control.  Again, refer to the toolbox section for a list of these resources. 

Chapter 5 of Alleviate Dry Eye is dedicated to tips to make your contact lenses more comfortable.  Or, you can ask your doctor about alternative solutions if a medication you take is causing your dry eye symptoms. 

Dry eye symptoms can stop you from enjoying the activities that you love.  Take the control back and start loving life again.  You’ll be so happy when you no longer have to rub your eyes and squint to see clearly just to make it through the work day.   

Please leave a comment below with one action step you can take today to start healing your dry eyes.  Don’t forget to get your copy of my free downloadable workbook.  I can’t wait to hear them.