When tear production decreases or tears begin to evaporate too quickly, symptoms of dry eye can develop. These problems can occur due to a wide variety of underlying conditions and factors (such as a vitamin deficiency, hormone imbalances, aging, and more).
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How Tears Work
To fully understand what causes dry eyes, it’s important to know some of the basics about how tears work. The physiology of tears is much more complex than one might initially think. Also, there is more than one type of tear, and all types are needed for healthy eyes.
Healthy tear production involves many different functions of the eye and associated structures, including:
Quality of Tears
Tears are normally comprised of three different layers, including:
When there is a problem with any of the three layers of the eyes, such as when thetears evaporatetoo quickly or fail to spread evenly over the cornea (due to problems with any of the three layers), it can result in the development of dry eyes.
Tear Production
There are many reasons that a person’s process of tear production isn’t working properly. This includes:
Drugs That Cause Dry EyeDrugs that are commonly known to cause dry eye include:Cold remedies (with decongestants)Allergy medications (such as Benadryl and other antihistamines)Antihypertensive medications (drugs that lower blood pressure)Antianxiety medications (drugs that help reduce anxiety)Eye drop preservatives (in medicated eye drops such as glaucoma drops, Visine, or other drops that have preservatives in the ingredients)
Drugs That Cause Dry Eye
Drugs that are commonly known to cause dry eye include:Cold remedies (with decongestants)Allergy medications (such as Benadryl and other antihistamines)Antihypertensive medications (drugs that lower blood pressure)Antianxiety medications (drugs that help reduce anxiety)Eye drop preservatives (in medicated eye drops such as glaucoma drops, Visine, or other drops that have preservatives in the ingredients)
Drugs that are commonly known to cause dry eye include:
Note: It’s important to give your ophthalmologist a complete list of all medications you are taking, including prescriptions and over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Your ophthalmologist can help you identify medicines that could be causing your symptoms.
A Word From Verywell
If you think you may be suffering from dry eye, take the Cleveland Clinic’sself-test for dry eye disordertoday to find out. This test is not meant to substitute for a visit to your eye doctor. Make sure to schedule an appointment for a medical consult and proper diagnosis.
4 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.Cleveland Clinic.Why we cry and what tears are made of.American Optometric Association.Dry eye.Sharma A, Hindman HB.Aging: a predisposition to dry eyes.Journal of Ophthalmology. 2014;2014:1-8. doi:10.1155/2014/781683American Academy of Ophthalmology.How can I tell what’s causing my dry eye?
4 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.Cleveland Clinic.Why we cry and what tears are made of.American Optometric Association.Dry eye.Sharma A, Hindman HB.Aging: a predisposition to dry eyes.Journal of Ophthalmology. 2014;2014:1-8. doi:10.1155/2014/781683American Academy of Ophthalmology.How can I tell what’s causing my 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.
Cleveland Clinic.Why we cry and what tears are made of.American Optometric Association.Dry eye.Sharma A, Hindman HB.Aging: a predisposition to dry eyes.Journal of Ophthalmology. 2014;2014:1-8. doi:10.1155/2014/781683American Academy of Ophthalmology.How can I tell what’s causing my dry eye?
Cleveland Clinic.Why we cry and what tears are made of.
American Optometric Association.Dry eye.
Sharma A, Hindman HB.Aging: a predisposition to dry eyes.Journal of Ophthalmology. 2014;2014:1-8. doi:10.1155/2014/781683
American Academy of Ophthalmology.How can I tell what’s causing my dry eye?
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