Read on to learn why your eyes could be dry, as well as prevention and treatment methods.
In healthy eyes, tears are produced in glands above the eye.
The tears then drain into your tear ducts, found at the inner corners of your eyes.
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When something in this process goes wrong, dry eye can occur.
Risk Factors
There are a host of reasons that your tear system might not work correctly.
Some common risk factors for dry eye include:
Environmental factors also contribute to dry eye.
If its very hot or windy where you are, your tears will evaporate more quickly.
In addition, smoke, allergens and other irritants can dry out the eye.
Signs and Symptoms
If you have dry eyes, youll usually notice your eyes feeling irritated.
Dry eyes can cause pain and irritation in the eyes and lead to vision changes or loss.
Actions can be taken to prevent dry eye, and treatment options are available.
A Word From Verywell
Its common for people to experience dry, scratchy eyes occasionally.
However, if you constantly wonder why your eyes are so dry, you might have chronic dry eye.
Fortunately, dry eye is very treatable with a combination of lifestyle changes and medical treatment.
Many people experience dry eyes occasionally.
However, if you frequently have dry, itchy eyes, you might have chronic dry eye.
If you have irritated eyes, you might experience relief soon after you use artificial tears.
However, it can take much longer to address the causes of dry eye.
National Eye Institute.Dry eye.
National Eye Institute.Causes of dry eye.
American Optometric Association.Dry eye.
