Dry Eye

While some people may experience dry eyes now and then, others may experience more severe or chronic dry eye symptoms that can impact their quality of life. If you are experiencing eye dryness that causes burning or stinging, sensitivity to light, blurry vision, or more, you may have dry eye syndrome. At Campus Eye Group, our eye care experts have the experience to help reduce your dry eye symptoms.

What is Dry Eye Syndrome?

Dry eye syndrome occurs when tear production and drainage are not in balance. People with dry eyes either do not produce enough tears, or their tears are of poor quality. The result? Unpleasant symptoms, including itching, burning, redness, watery eyes, excessive tearing—and even eye pain. Dry eye syndrome can also increase your risk for more serious eye problems like corneal ulcers. Without treatment or proper medication, dry eye syndrome can worsen over time.

There are several types of dry eye disease, including:

Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye

Occurs when the eyes do not produce enough tears. Some autoimmune conditions, such as Sjögren’s syndrome, can cause this form of dry eye.

Evaporative Dry Eye

Occurs when your tears evaporate too quickly. It is most commonly caused by meibomian gland dysfunction, which means that the glands in your eyelids that produce tear film do not properly work. As a result, the oily layer of the tear film is unstable, and cannot protect the watery layer from drying up.

Mixed Dry Eye

Many people may experience a mix of both aqueous tear deficiency and tear instability, which means that the eyes do not produce enough tears, and the tear film is unstable.

What Causes Dry Eye?

While over 80% of dry eye cases are due to blocked oil glands in the eyelids — a condition called meibomian gland dysfunction or evaporative dry eye — other factors can also cause this syndrome. These include:

Gender: The majority of dry eye sufferers are women. This tends to be caused by hormonal changes, whether through the use of contraceptives, pregnancy, or menopause.

Age: There’s a higher prevalence of dry eye syndrome in those over 50 years of age.

Environment: Dry wind, dry air, and dry climates can evaporate the tears. Home and car heaters, air conditioners, fans, and hair dryers also cause tears to evaporate.

Medication: These include antidepressants, decongestants, and blood pressure medications.

Autoimmune Disorders: Sjogren’s disease and arthritis, among others.

Diagnosing Dry Eye

Dry eye is diagnosed through an eye exam. Your eye care provider will examine your eyelids and the surface of the eye. Certain tests can be done to help diagnose dry eyes, which include measuring the quality and thickness of your tears. Tear production may also be measured.

Dry Eye Treatments

Although there is no cure for dry eye syndrome, we can offer a variety of safe and effective Dry Eye treatments, including prescription medications, artificial tears and punctal plugs. To learn more about our dry eye treatments, please visit our Dry Eye Treatments page.

Schedule Your Appointment

If you have any questions regarding dry eye syndrome or dry eye treatments, feel free to contact us for a consultation. Campus Eye Group in Hamilton, NJ, strives to help our patients feel comfortable and knowledgeable about eye care.

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Our professional staff is comprised of both consulting board-certified ophthalmologists and therapeutically certified optometrists who deliver the highest quality of eye care, innovative medical and surgical care, ensuring that our patients are provided with the most innovative solutions for maintaining, enhancing, or preserving their sight.

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