If you have dry eyes, this means you cannot make enough tears to keep your eyes nourished and lubricated. Tears are important for providing you with clear vision, as well as to keep the front surface of your eyes healthy. Below are two things that can be the cause of dry eyes to help you determine why you are having this problem.
Sjogren's Syndrome
Sjogren's syndrome is a disorder that affects the glands in your body that produce moisture. Dry eyes and dry mouth are two of the most common symptoms of this syndrome. Doctors are not sure what causes Sjogren's syndrome but they think exposure to bacteria or a virus, as well as genes play a role in it. Besides having dry eyes and a dry mouth, you may also have skin rashes, dry skin, vaginal dryness, and muscle and joint pain. If you are exhibiting these symptoms, see your doctor for an eye exam to see if you have this syndrome. If the doctor finds that you do have Sjogren's syndrome, you can visit an eye doctor who can prescribe artificial tears, eye ointments, as well as medications to help with your dry eyes.
Obstructive Sleep Apnea Disorder
If you have obstructive sleep apnea disorder and wear a CPAP machine at night, this can cause you to have dry eyes. In many cases, the problem is due to air leaking from the mask into your eyes. This could be because the mask may be too tight and puts too much pressure on your face. The mask could also be too loose, or could be defective or worn out. Readjusting the mask straps, using a different type of mask, or replacing your mask can help resolve this problem. There are also eye shields that you can purchase to wear at night. Call your doctor because you do need to make sure the eye shields you buy will work with the type of CPAP machine that you have.
If nothing works for you, there is a surgery called punctal occlusion your eye doctor may suggest. During this procedure, the doctor will permanently shut off the tear ducts that drains tears from your eyes. This will allow you to have natural tears without having to use any kind of artificial or prescription eye drops. Your eye doctor can go over this procedure with you in much more detail so you can determine if this is something you would like to have performed on you. Contact a business, such as Envision Eyecare, for more information.