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Are You Causing Your Dry Eye?

Are Your Habits or Products Causing Your Dry Eye Symptoms? 

Dry eye can affect anyone, no matter what their age or circumstances. The weather or sitting near your home or work’s heating/AC vents can dry out your eyes. Some groups of people tend to have dry eye more, such as older people, those on certain medications, or those with medical conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, Sjogren’s syndrome, or thyroid disease. 

In some cases, our own (bad) habits are the cause of dry eye. Such habits include: 

  • Extensive computer use – Staring at screens all day means that you blink less, causing your eyes to dry out
  • Mild dehydration – Drink more water! 
  • Smoking – Both first and second-hand smoke can dry out your eyes, and smoking lessens nutrients in your body that help your eye health. 
  • Rubbing your eyes – Rubbing your eyes may help produce tears to produce, but doing it too much can dry your eyes out. 
  • Falling asleep in your contacts – Contacts can irritate the eyes. Wear yours as instructed, and do not sleep in them. 
  • Not protecting your eyes when it is windy – Wear sunglasses to avoid getting things in your eyes. 
  • Eye makeup – Some makeup can thin out your tear film, causing dry eye. 
  • Beauty products – Look out for ingredients such as formaldehyde derivatives and methylparabens.

    There isn’t one cause of dry eye, so if your eyes don’t feel quite right, make an appointment. We can solve your dry eye problems, but it’s essential first to know the cause. Then, we can propose solutions including:  
  • Prescription eye drops or other medications
  • Surgical procedures
  • TempSure therapy 
  • Lipiflow Thermal Pulsation therapy
  • TrueTear Neurostimulation 
  • Special contact lenses 
  • IPL, or Intense Pulse Light therapy 
  • Autologous Serum eye drops 

Learn more about dry eye and The Eye Institute’s solutions on our Dry Eye Center page.

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