Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Is Evaporation?Dry Eye vs. Evaporative Dry EyeIncreasing LubricationIf More Help Is Needed
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
What Is Evaporation?
Dry Eye vs. Evaporative Dry Eye
Increasing Lubrication
If More Help Is Needed
Your tears work to keep your eyes lubricated and protect them from irritants like dirt and dust. Tears are made up of three layers: a mucous, watery, and oily layer, each of which comes together from separate glands. When the gland that produces the oily layer doesn’t function properly, it can cause the tears to evaporate more quickly, leading to inflammation and dry eye.
Tears and Evaporation: What Happens
Tears help lubricate and protect the eyes from irritation (such as dirt and dust) and infections. When you blink, a layer of tears—called tear film—covers the eyes' surface.
The tear film has these three layers:
Meibomian gland dysfunctionoccurs when the glands on the edge of your eyelids (near your eyelashes) make insufficient or poor-quality oil. Tears containing less oil evaporate more quickly, leading to eyelid inflammation and dry eyes.
Symptoms of Dry Eye
Do I Have Dry Eye or Evaporative Dry Eye?
Most people with diagnosed dry eye have evaporative dry eye, which accounts for more than 85% of dry eye disease.Evaporative dry eye occurs when the tear film has an insufficient oily layer, leading to greater tear evaporation.
Evaporative dry eye symptoms include:
The less common form of dry eye is aqueous-deficient dry eye, which results from a lowered aqueous (watery fluid) production from the lacrimal glands (glands that produce tears).Aqueous-deficient dry eye symptoms are similar to those of evaporative dry eye.
It is possible to have both types of dry eye simultaneously.
What Causes Dry Eyes?
How to Increase Eye Lubrication
A few things you can do to increase your eye lubrication are:
Artificial Tears Not Helping
If you have tried artificial tears for your evaporative dry eye without success, there could be a few reasons, such as:
If these strategies don’t work, see an eye doctor to investigate the cause of your dry eye.
Summary
Your tears are made up of mucous, water, and oil. When your eyes don’t produce enough oil, the tears evaporate more quickly, leading to inflammation and dryness. You can use over-the-counter artificial tears for evaporative dry eye, but you may need to try different brands before finding one that works best. Some people need to use a gel or ointment, which provide better lubrication than water-based drops.
Make an appointment with an eye doctor to help you pinpoint what type of dry eye you have and any potentially effective treatments.
8 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Eye Institute.How tears work.Findlay Q, Reid K.Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer. Aust Prescr. 2018;41(5):160-163.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Evaporative dry eye: What you need to know.Singh S, Mishra DK, Shanbhag S, et al.Lacrimal gland involvement in severe dry eyes after stevens-johnson syndrome. Ophthalmology. 2021;128(4):621-624.Sheppard JD, Nichols KK.Dry eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction: focus on tear film characteristics and the therapeutic landscape. Ophthalmology and Therapy. 2023;12(3):1397.Mukamal R/American Academy of Ophthalmology.Choosing the best lubricant eye drops for dry eyes.Optometrists Network.Eyelid hygiene: why is it important?National Eye Institute.Dry eye.
8 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.National Eye Institute.How tears work.Findlay Q, Reid K.Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer. Aust Prescr. 2018;41(5):160-163.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Evaporative dry eye: What you need to know.Singh S, Mishra DK, Shanbhag S, et al.Lacrimal gland involvement in severe dry eyes after stevens-johnson syndrome. Ophthalmology. 2021;128(4):621-624.Sheppard JD, Nichols KK.Dry eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction: focus on tear film characteristics and the therapeutic landscape. Ophthalmology and Therapy. 2023;12(3):1397.Mukamal R/American Academy of Ophthalmology.Choosing the best lubricant eye drops for dry eyes.Optometrists Network.Eyelid hygiene: why is it important?National Eye Institute.Dry eye.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
National Eye Institute.How tears work.Findlay Q, Reid K.Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer. Aust Prescr. 2018;41(5):160-163.Johns Hopkins Medicine.Evaporative dry eye: What you need to know.Singh S, Mishra DK, Shanbhag S, et al.Lacrimal gland involvement in severe dry eyes after stevens-johnson syndrome. Ophthalmology. 2021;128(4):621-624.Sheppard JD, Nichols KK.Dry eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction: focus on tear film characteristics and the therapeutic landscape. Ophthalmology and Therapy. 2023;12(3):1397.Mukamal R/American Academy of Ophthalmology.Choosing the best lubricant eye drops for dry eyes.Optometrists Network.Eyelid hygiene: why is it important?National Eye Institute.Dry eye.
National Eye Institute.How tears work.
Findlay Q, Reid K.Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer. Aust Prescr. 2018;41(5):160-163.
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Evaporative dry eye: What you need to know.
Singh S, Mishra DK, Shanbhag S, et al.Lacrimal gland involvement in severe dry eyes after stevens-johnson syndrome. Ophthalmology. 2021;128(4):621-624.
Sheppard JD, Nichols KK.Dry eye disease associated with meibomian gland dysfunction: focus on tear film characteristics and the therapeutic landscape. Ophthalmology and Therapy. 2023;12(3):1397.
Mukamal R/American Academy of Ophthalmology.Choosing the best lubricant eye drops for dry eyes.
Optometrists Network.Eyelid hygiene: why is it important?
National Eye Institute.Dry eye.
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