Dry Eye

Dry eye is a really common condition caused by a problem with your tears.

It can make your eye feel dry, scratchy uncomfortable or like there is something in your eye all the time. Although it can be irritating, dry eye won’t lead to permanent sight loss and often the symptoms can be managed easily.

Dry eye is caused by a problem with your tears. When you blink you leave a thin layer, called the tear film, over the front of your eye. This tear film keeps the front of your eye healthy and helps the eye focus properly, giving you clear vision. The tear film is made up of three layers which includes the mucin layer, watery layer and lipid layer. If you don't produce enough tears, if your tears aren't of the right quality or your tears aren't spread across the front of your eye properly then you may develop dry eye.

Often dry eye is a natural symptom of getting older but can also be affected by other things such as medications, pre-existing health conditions, use of contact lenses and eye surgery.