You’re going about your day when suddenly your eyes feel gritty, scratchy, and uncomfortable. This sudden onset of dry eye can be disruptive and annoying. It’s sometimes your body’s way of signalling that something in your environment or your health has shifted.
Sudden dry eye symptoms can gradually stem from a combination of environmental triggers, personal health changes, and specific issues with tear production. At Doctors EyeCare, we want to help you find relief with our eye care services.
Know the Signs and Symptoms of Dry Eye
When your tears can’t properly lubricate your eyes, you might experience a range of symptoms. They can appear without warning and often affect both eyes. This discomfort can interfere with daily activities like reading or driving.
You may notice 1 or more of the following signs:
- A stinging, burning, or scratchy sensation in your eyes
- Sensitivity to light
- Eye redness or irritation
- A feeling like there’s something in your eyes
- Watery eyes, which is the body’s response to irritation
- Blurred vision or tired eyes
When It Might Seem Like Something Else
Sometimes, the symptoms of dry eye disease overlap with other conditions. Eye allergies or blepharitis (an inflammation of the eyelids) can feel very similar. Getting the right diagnosis helps you receive the right care, which is why getting an eye exam is a great place to start.
Common Reasons for Sudden Eye Dryness
Dry eye typically happens for 2 main reasons. Either you don’t produce enough tears, or the tears you do produce are not of great quality and therefore evaporate too quickly. Your unique situation often involves a mix of factors that can influence your symptoms.
Your Environment and Daily Habits
Your surroundings and habits play a big role in eye comfort. Increased screen time is a major factor, as you tend to blink less often when staring at a computer or phone. This reduced blinking prevents your tear film from being replenished regularly.
Other common triggers include dry air from air conditioning or heaters, which can cause tears to evaporate faster. Windy days, smoky environments, and even contact lenses can contribute to sudden feelings of dryness and irritation.
Your Personal Health and Wellness
Changes within your body can impact your eyes. This includes hormonal shifts related to things like pregnancy or menopause, which can alter tear production. The natural aging process also tends to decrease the amount of tears you make.
Certain health conditions, like thyroid disorders, rheumatoid arthritis, and Sjogren’s syndrome (an autoimmune disorder that impacts tear production), are known to cause dryness. Additionally, many common medications for things like allergies, blood pressure, and depression can have dry eye as a side effect.
Problems with Tear Production and Quality
Your tear film is more complex than you might think. It has 3 layers that work together. A mucus layer helps tears stick to the eye, a watery layer provides moisture, and an oily layer on top prevents evaporation. If any of these layers are out of balance, your eyes can become dry.
The tiny glands that line your eyelids produce that crucial oily layer. When these glands become clogged, a condition known as meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), your tears can evaporate too fast, leading to dryness.
Find a Clear Picture of Your Eye Health
To find the most effective treatment, we first need to understand the specific cause of your dry eye. A thorough eye exam helps us see the complete picture of your ocular health.
A Personalized Assessment with Your Eye Doctor
We’ll talk through your symptoms, lifestyle, and health history to identify potential contributing factors. A comprehensive eye exam allows us to examine your eyelids, cornea (the clear outer layer of your eye), and tear film.
Innovative Diagnostic Tools for Dry Eye
We can use technology to measure and analyze your tears. These tools provide objective data on your eye health. They help us pinpoint the exact reason for your discomfort. They often include tests like:
- Meibography: We perform meibography using the OCULUS Keratograph 5M to assess the health of your oil-producing (meibomian) glands. This imaging allows us to clearly see the gland structure and identify any blockages that may affect tear quality.
- Automated and subjective tear breakup time (TBUT) test: TBUT testing evaluates how long your tear film remains stable before breaking up. This helps determine whether tear instability may be contributing to your dry eye symptoms.
- Schirmer’s test: This test measures how much tear fluid your eyes produce over a set period. It helps us identify if your dry eye symptoms are caused by insufficient tear production.
Find Effective Treatment for Dry Eye
Relief often comes from a combination of at-home care and professional therapies. These approaches are designed to restore your tear film and improve your eye comfort. The goal is to address the underlying cause, not just the symptoms.
Simple Changes for Relief
You can take proactive steps at home to support your eye health. Try taking regular screen breaks using the 20-20-20 rule: Every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. This simple habit can help reduce eye strain and encourage more consistent blinking.
Using a humidifier at home or work can add moisture to the air. Wearing wraparound sunglasses outside protects your eyes from wind and sun. Staying hydrated and incorporating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids can also support healthy tear production.
In-Office Therapies
For more persistent dry eye, we offer gentle, noninvasive treatments that can help provide relief. Intense pulsed light (IPL) uses light energy to help reduce inflammation and encourage oil gland function. It can address blockages and help to restore a healthier tear film.
Low-level light therapy (LLLT) is another option that uses specific wavelengths of light. This therapy can help gently warm the eyelids to stimulate the glands around the eyes. Both treatments are designed to be comfortable and target the causes of dryness.
Find Relief with Our Team
If you’re dealing with sudden or ongoing dry eye symptoms, you don’t have to manage them alone. A conversation with your eye doctor in Red Deer or Sylvan Lake, Alberta, is a great way for our team to understand your unique needs. We can identify the cause of your discomfort and create a tailored approach to help your eyes feel healthy and comfortable again.
At Doctors EyeCare, we are here to support your entire family’s vision health. We are committed to finding a solution that fits your lifestyle. Contact our team to schedule an appointment and find a clear path to comfortable vision.
