Eye Care — CAUSES OF DRY EYE
Contact Lenses and Dry Eye
Although contact lenses do not directly cause dry eye disease, they are one of the leading causes of further irritation to your eyes after the disease has developed. They can, however, cause contact lens-induced dry eye, a condition that causes similar symptoms caused by the chronic disease. If you are a lense wearer who also suffers from dry eye symptoms, learning how to manage the irritation and pain that this combination may cause you should take top priority. If you experience dry eye symptoms (redness, itchiness, pain, increased blink rate, dryness, etc.) in conjunction with contact lense use, your first...
How Tear Hyperosmolarity and Other Factors Cause Dry Eye
One of the primary causes of chronic dry eye disease is tear hyperosmolarity. The Definition and Classification Subcommittee of the 2007 International Dry Eye Workshop defines dry eye disease as “a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability with potential damage to the ocular surface. It is accompanied by increased osmolarity of the tear film and inflammation of the ocular surface.” Given its mention in the official definition of dry eye, tear hyperosmolarity is clearly an underlying factor in the development of the disease. In basic terms,...