Dry eyes, also known as dry eye syndrome, occurs when your tears are not providing enough lubrication for your eyes.
This can cause a lot of discomfort and produce several signs and symptoms.
Some signs and symptoms of dry eyes are a stinging or burning sensation in the eyes, stringy mucus in or around your eyes, sticking together of eyelids when wakin up, increased sensitivity to light, redness in the eyes, a sensation of having something in the eyes (especially when wearing contact lenses), difficulty driving at night, and blurred vision or eye fatigue.
Dry eyes can be caused by both medical and environmental factors.
Usually, dry eyes are caused by a lack of adequate tears. Not tears from crying, but rather the tears produced by tear glands to keep the surface of your eyes smooth and clear, as well as helping protect your eyes from infection.
Your tear glands may produce inadequate tears as a result of aging, a medical condition (diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, scleroderma, thyroid disorders and vitamin A deficiency), certain medications, laser eye surgery and tear gland damage from inflammation or radiation.
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