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| What
Are Dry Eyes? |
| Do
your eyes ever sting, burn, or feel scratchy? To be comfortable,
your eyes need to be lubricated, or bathed, with tears. Normally,
there is always a "film" of tears on the surface of your
eyes. But if your eyes don't produce enough tears, the surface
gets irritated. This is known as "dry eyes." |
| Not
Enough Lubricating Tears
When you cry, your eyes make reflex
tears. Each time you blink, another kind of tears, call
lubricating tears, spreads over the surface of your eyes.
These tears keep the eyes moist and comfortable. You aren't
aware of these tears because they stay on the surface of the
eyes. But without them, your eyes get dry. Then they
burn or sting and feel scratchy. The may also water.
This doesn't relieve the dryness, however, because the eyes water
with reflex tears, not lubricating tears.
What causes Dry Eyes?
Many things can cause your eyes to
become dry. These include:
- Aging
- Heaters and air conditioners
- Wind, smoke, or dry weather
- Allergies such as hay fever
- Medications
- Eyelid problems, injuries to the
eye, or diseases like rheumatoid arthritis
|
| How Lubricating Tears
Flow
Lubricating tears flow from
glands in the upper eyelid over the surface of the
eye. From the eye, the tears drain into canals that
lead to the nose.
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