Evaporative dry eye is a common type of dry eye disease. This condition happens when the tear film on your eye's surface - which is essential for eye health and comfort - evaporates too quickly. As a result, the eye's moisture cannot sufficiently keep your eyes moist. If you suffer from dry eyes and live in the greater St. George vicinity, Dr. Smith and our team of eye care professionals at Stone Canyon Eye Quality eye care can help reduce the symptoms caused by dry eyes.
What Causes Dry Eyes?
In a healthy eye, the tear film consists of these layers:
• The outer lipid (or oily) layer, which helps to prevent the evaporation of tears
• The middle aqueous (watery) layer
• The inner mucin (sticky) layer
There are several underlying issues that can lead to dry eyes. However, when evaporative dry eye - also known as evaporative keratoconjunctivitis - manifests along with another cause, one's eyes can become even drier. Additionally, typical risk factors may worsen your dry eyes, such as a change in seasons (with winter being the worst), extensive screen time, windy weather, or being in a room with many fans or overly cold air-conditioning.
What are Dry Eye Symptoms?
Although symptoms vary from person to person, common dry eye symptoms include a persistent and annoying feeling of grittiness and dryness, often accompanied by burning or stinging. In addition, evaporative dry eyes may cause bloodshot or red eyes due to chronic inflammation. Blurry vision is often a symptom of evaporative dry eye, as is eye fatigue after prolonged electronic screen use or reading.
An eye exam from our eye doctor, Dr. Smith, can help determine the cause of your dry eyes and create a customized plan to provide the dry eye relief you seek. Many times, simple lifestyle changes suggested by our eye doctor or the addition of prescription eye drops are all that's needed to help avoid the discomfort caused by evaporative dry eyes. If your condition requires surgery, we can recommend an eye surgeon.
Contact Our Eye Care Specialist in St. George, UT
If you have dry eyes, relief is just a phone call away. Learn more about dry eye or schedule an appointment with Dr. Smith at Stone Canyon Eye Care today. We can be reached at 435-359-2020 or online.
