Dry Eyes Due To Aging
People over the age of 50 are more likely to experience dry eyes. Meibomian Gland Dysfunction tends to get worse with age, which is one of the primary health conditions that cause dry eyes.
Seasonal Allergies & Dry Eyes
If you suffer from seasonal allergies one of your symptoms may be itchy dry eyes. Ocular allergy symptoms may worsen with dry eye. Click to see where we discussed possible environmental factors and causes of dry eye.
Pregnancy/Menopause
Women are more likely to develop dry eyes, especially post-menopausal women who experience the condition more so than men of the same age. Changes in hormones during and/or after pregnancy may also trigger dry eye problems.
Medications That Cause Dry Eyes
There are a number of prescription and non-prescription medications that can cause dry eyes and that you should talk with your doctor or pharmacist about including:
- Antihistamines
- Antidepressants
- Decongestants
- Hormone Replacement Therapy
- Anxiety Medication
- Some Blood Pressure Medication
- Oral Contraceptives
Diseases That Can Cause Dry Eyes
Diseases are also common health conditions that cause dry eyes. Diseases can affect your body’s ability to make tears and cause dry eye symptoms. These include:
- Sjogren’s syndrome
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Collagen vascular diseases
- Lupus
- Scleroderma
- Diabetes
- Thyroid Disorders
- Vitamin A Deficiency
Sjorgen’s syndrome is simply one of many reasons a disease can amplify and worsen dry eye.
Computer time has increased during this time and that has caused a lot of dry eyes as well. Believe it or not, we blink a lot less when staring at a computer screen! This decreased blinking rate causes our tears to evaporate. Without a healthy tear barrier, we are left with dry and irritated eyes.
Try taking regular breaks, using the ’20/20/20′ rule – look 20 feet away, every 20 minutes for 20 seconds.
