Dry eyes can be painful and you can identify them through the symptoms of a gritty sensation, redness, and stinging. It can either be chronic or temporary and happens when your tear glands no longer produce enough tears. Or when your tears tend to evaporate quickly. Sadly, untreated chronic dry eyes can bring many complications like double vision and infections.
So, this article brings you causes of dry eyes some of which can be controlled by your lifestyle and others are natural causes.
1. Growing Old (Aging)
The dry eye condition is common in aged people because the condition grows more as you grow old. It is common in people who are over 50 years because of a decline in tear production. However, this dry eye type can’t be prevented but the situation can be handled with artificial tears. These help to give extra lubrication to your eyes and relieve its dryness.
2. Some Medications
Your tears are made of mucus, oil, and water but some medications reduce your mucus production and lead to chronic dry eye. Some of these include antidepressants, diuretics, antihistamines, and beta-blockers that are used in the treatment of hypertension.
So, if you are on any medication and you experience eye dryness, consult your doctor for an alternative medication. Or he or she may lower your dose to handle your dry eye by reducing its effects on your eyes.\
3. Long Computer Use
Using your computer for so long without relaxing your eyes causes eye strain plus tension headaches. Moreover, staring at your computer also affects your tears and leads to dry eyes. This is because while at your computer, you tend to blink less which causes your tears to evaporate quickly. So, if you frequently use the computer for work, it is safe to blink frequently to reduce the dryness as it lubricates your eyes.
You can also look away from the computer every 20 minutes as you repeatedly blink to re-wet your eyes. Best of all, the lipiflow procedure can help in the quick restoration of your eye wetness.
4. Menopause
Hormones have a vital role in dry eyes. Wondering how? Some women get dry eyes after reaching the menopause stage or when using birth control pills. And remember your hormones boost tear production so any hormone imbalance can reduce your tear production.
But you can visit eye specialists to help you with a solution on how you can lubricate your eyes because the menopause stage can’t be reversed.
5. Vitamin A Deficiency
Vitamin A has a vital role in promoting healthy eyes. Vitamin A-rich foods include; fish, carrots, peppers, broccoli, and eggs. If these foods miss in your daily diet then you are likely to suffer from dry eyes plus other vision impairments like night blindness.
So, regularly keep your meals balanced with these foods to maintain your eye health in perfect condition. These are natural remedies without any side effects to your body.
6. Eye Allergies
Allergies can cause dry eyes. These come with different signs like watery, itchy, and red eyes. These symptoms can be relieved with oral medication like antihistamine but this medication tends to worsen dry eye symptoms.
It’s safe to visit eye specialists if you have some of these symptoms to get professional care. The best thing with this is that your eyes can be treated by specialists while using safe medication that doesn’t put you at risk of getting dry eyes.
7. Dehydration
Sometimes dry eyes are brought about by dehydration of your body. This is when you don’t have enough water in your body. Some of the signs of dehydration include dizziness, less urination, rapid heartbeat, lack of energy, and dark urine.
Well, you have to take lots of fluids especially water to boost your body’s hydration. And prevent chronic dry eye. Have a daily routine of the amount of water you must take and follow it consistently.
But for a quick solution to your dry eyes, you can embrace the lipiflow procedure and have your eye lubrication fixed in no time by the best eye specialists.
8. Smoking
Smoking or being exposed to second-hand smoke can also lead to dry eyes. So, if you are a regular smoker, then it’s safe to quit the smoking habit and keep your eyes safe. You can embrace nicotine replacement therapy to help you out.
Moreover, you should also avoid smoky environments that expose your eyes to second-hand smoke. You should stay in environments that expose your eyes to unlimited fresh air to keep them well moisturized.
9. Long-Term Usage of Contact Lenses
Using contact lenses for a long period is risky because it causes chronic dry eye. Wondering how? Some contact lenses obstruct your cornea from accessing enough oxygen yet it needs it to function efficiently.
Well, if your eyes lack enough lubrication because of contact lenses, then switch to eyeglasses. And inquire from eye specialists for contact lenses designed for dry eyes. Because these contact lenses will help your dry eyes to retain their moisture.
10. Low Humidity Levels
Dry air at home or your workplace can lead to dry eyes. This is caused by low humidity levels at your home or workplace. So, if you work or sleep near an air ventilator, then you are likely to get a dry eye.
To be on the safe side, you can move your bed or desk away from the air ventilator to avoid air from blowing directly into your eyes. Furthermore, you can use a humidifier to help moisten the air. And control your tear evaporation.
Get Early Treatment for Your Dry Eyes
If you are suffering from dry eyes then it’s safe to go for early treatment to avoid long-term damage. The good news is that with the lipiflow procedure, your eye dryness can quickly be fixed by eye professionals.