As the name suggests, dry eye is a condition in which the surface of the eyes become dry due to lack of lubrication and moisture. Dry eye can affect anyone who has a problem with their lubricating glands. These glands are present just near the eyes. The eyes do not have the ability to lubricate itself constantly and they lack the ability to remove the dust particles and other types of irritants from the eyes. Therefore, people face problems and different difficulties while dealing with dry eye symptoms. Keratitis Sicca and Keratoconjunctivitis Sicca are some of the other terms which have been given to dry eye syndrome.

Symptoms of dry eye

People are familiar with dry eyes as doctors see millions of cases every year all over the world. The symptoms of dry eye are very common and therefore can be identified easily. Let us have a look at some dry eye symptoms.

• Burning sensation– People who have dry eye syndrome feel chronic pain in their eyes, as if they are burning especially, when they keep their eyes open for a long time or while blinking them frequently.
• Itchy eyes– Since the particles remain in the eyes and do not wash away; you will feel itchiness in your eyes for a long time.
• Aching sensations– Since, eyes cannot lubricate themselves, it makes the surface very rough and therefore, people face aching sensations.
• Heavy eyes–  Eyes tend to become heavy when people are not able to blink their eyes properly because they ache. Since, there is lack of lubrication and moisture; they are bound to become heavy.
• Fatigued eyes– The ample amount of stress that is put upon the eyes result in fatigued and stressed out eyes. They look tired.
• Sore eyes– Eyes become sore due to the lack of lubrication and presence of different irritants. Besides feeling ample amount of pain when you blink, your eyes may swell as well.

So, these were the most common and identifiable symptoms of dry eye. If you are facing these dry eye symptoms, then do not neglect the situation and immediately visit a doctor. If not checked on time, it can cause chronic eye problems later on. Dry eye symptoms can be excruciating and is quite stressful because of the constant irritation

Causes of dry eye symptoms

You might be wondering that why do our eyes lose their ability to lubricate its surface. This can be because of various reasons. Let us have a look at the factors which influence dry eye symptoms.

• Exposure to dry wind or heat can make the eyes dry and it affect the glands as well. Therefore, they lose the ability to lubricate the surface.
• Some medicines may result in dry eye as their side effects. Therefore, such medicines should be identified and avoided.
• Dry eye symptoms are common in elderly people.
• Staring at electronic devices which have a high amount of glare can also cause dry eyes.

These are some of the most common causes of dry eye symptoms which affect people of different ages. You may not be able to understand what the cause of your problem is but when you visit a doctor they will be able to diagnose it and then, prescribe you medicines, accordingly.

Dry eye is a very common disease which affects millions of people every year and if you face the same problem do not get frightened. Dry eye symptoms can be easily identified, and if you visit a doctor, he or she will recommend medicines which will help you to get rid of it. But, do not neglect the symptoms and prolong chronic problem for a long time because if left untreated for long, it can become even more severe.