Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry eye syndrome occurs when the eyes lack moisture or when there isn’t enough lubrication in the eye. The condition can also be called chronic dry eyes, and it can be a mild irritant or cause severe eye inflammation. In medical terms, dry eye syndrome is also known as keratoconjunctivitis sicca or keratitis sicca, both of which translate to mean a decrease in amount of tear production. When left untreated, prolonged cases of dry eyes can lead to serious complications, such as cornea damage and blindness.

Learn More:

How common is dry eye syndrome.

Dry eye prognosis and complications.  

Dry eye diagnosis

Cure dry eyes

Please use the links in the right sidebar to navigate to other sections of our site and learn more about dry eyes – or, if you are ready to purchase a solution now, we can offer you the following recommendation:

References

1. The definition and classification of dry eye disease: report of the Definition and Classification Subcommittee of the International Dry Eye WorkShop (2007). Ocul Surf. 2007 Apr;5(2):75-92. [PubMed]

2. Huang R, Su C, Fang L, Lu J, Chen J, Ding Y. Dry eye syndrome: comprehensive etiologies and recent clinical trials. Int Ophthalmol. 2022 Oct;42(10):3253-3272. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

3. Craig JP, Nichols KK, Akpek EK, Caffery B, Dua HS, Joo CK, Liu Z, Nelson JD, Nichols JJ, Tsubota K, Stapleton F. TFOS DEWS II Definition and Classification Report. Ocul Surf. 2017 Jul;15(3):276-283. [PubMed]

4. King-Smith PE, Fink BA, Hill RM, Koelling KW, Tiffany JM. The thickness of the tear film. Curr Eye Res. 2004 Oct-Nov;29(4-5):357-68. [PubMed]

5. King-Smith PE, Fink BA, Fogt N, Nichols KK, Hill RM, Wilson GS. The thickness of the human precorneal tear film: evidence from reflection spectra. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2000 Oct;41(11):3348-59. [PubMed]

6. Chen Q, Wang J, Tao A, Shen M, Jiao S, Lu F. Ultrahigh-resolution measurement by optical coherence tomography of dynamic tear film changes on contact lenses. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2010 Apr;51(4):1988-93. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

7. Willcox MDP, Argüeso P, Georgiev GA, Holopainen JM, Laurie GW, Millar TJ, Papas EB, Rolland JP, Schmidt TA, Stahl U, Suarez T, Subbaraman LN, Uçakhan OÖ, Jones L. TFOS DEWS II Tear Film Report. Ocul Surf. 2017 Jul;15(3):366-403. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

8. Peng CC, Cerretani C, Braun RJ, Radke CJ. Evaporation-driven instability of the precorneal tear film. Adv Colloid Interface Sci. 2014 Apr;206:250-64. [PubMed]

9. Zhou L, Beuerman RW. Tear analysis in ocular surface diseases. Prog Retin Eye Res. 2012 Nov;31(6):527-50. [PubMed]

10. Mantelli F, Mauris J, Argüeso P. The ocular surface epithelial barrier and other mechanisms of mucosal protection: from allergy to infectious diseases. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013 Oct;13(5):563-8. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

11. O’Neil EC, Henderson M, Massaro-Giordano M, Bunya VY. Advances in dry eye disease treatment. Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2019 May;30(3):166-178. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

12. Fjaervoll K, Fjaervoll H, Magno M, Nøland ST, Dartt DA, Vehof J, Utheim TP. Review on the possible pathophysiological mechanisms underlying visual display terminal-associated dry eye disease. Acta Ophthalmol. 2022 Dec;100(8):861-877. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

13. Craig JP, Nelson JD, Azar DT, Belmonte C, Bron AJ, Chauhan SK, de Paiva CS, Gomes JAP, Hammitt KM, Jones L, Nichols JJ, Nichols KK, Novack GD, Stapleton FJ, Willcox MDP, Wolffsohn JS, Sullivan DA. TFOS DEWS II Report Executive Summary. Ocul Surf. 2017 Oct;15(4):802-812. [PubMed]

14. Qian L, Wei W. Identified risk factors for dry eye syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One. 2022;17(8):e0271267. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

15. I Y Hasan ZA. Dry eye syndrome risk factors: A systemic review. Saudi J Ophthalmol. 2021 Apr-Jun;35(2):131-139. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

16. Paulsen AJ, Cruickshanks KJ, Fischer ME, Huang GH, Klein BE, Klein R, Dalton DS. Dry eye in the beaver dam offspring study: prevalence, risk factors, and health-related quality of life. Am J Ophthalmol. 2014 Apr;157(4):799-806. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

17. Chang CJ, Somohano K, Zemsky C, Uhlemann AC, Liebmann J, Cioffi GA, Al-Aswad LA, Lynch SV, Winn BJ. Topical Glaucoma Therapy Is Associated With Alterations of the Ocular Surface Microbiome. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2022 Aug 02;63(9):32. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

18. Andole S, Senthil S. Ocular Surface Disease and Anti-Glaucoma Medications: Various features, Diagnosis, and Management Guidelines. Semin Ophthalmol. 2023 Feb;38(2):158-166. [PubMed]

19. Sobolewska B, Schaller M, Zierhut M. Rosacea and Dry Eye Disease. Ocul Immunol Inflamm. 2022 Apr 03;30(3):570-579. [PubMed]

20. Bilgic AA, Kocabeyoglu S, Dikmetas O, Tan C, Karakaya J, Irkec M. Influence of video display terminal use and meibomian gland dysfunction on the ocular surface and tear neuromediators. Int Ophthalmol. 2023 May;43(5):1537-1544. [PubMed]

21. Al Sabti K, Zechevikj S, Raizada S. Evaluation of lipid layer tear film changes after femtosecond small incision lenticule extraction. Ther Adv Ophthalmol. 2022 Jan-Dec;14:25158414221129534. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

22. Napoli PE, Nioi M, Iovino C, Sanna R, d’Aloja E, Fossarello M. Ocular surface and respiratory tract damages from occupational, sub-chronic exposure to fluorspar: case report and other considerations. Int Ophthalmol. 2019 May;39(5):1175-1178. [PubMed]

23. Suárez-Cortés T, Merino-Inda N, Benitez-Del-Castillo JM. Tear and ocular surface disease biomarkers: A diagnostic and clinical perspective for ocular allergies and dry eye disease. Exp Eye Res. 2022 Aug;221:109121. [PubMed]

24. Truong S, Cole N, Stapleton F, Golebiowski B. Sex hormones and the dry eye. Clin Exp Optom. 2014 Jul;97(4):324-36. [PubMed]

25. Talens-Estarelles C, García-Marqués JV, Cerviño A, García-Lázaro S. Dry Eye-Related Risk Factors for Digital Eye Strain. Eye Contact Lens. 2022 Oct 01;48(10):410-415. [PubMed]

26. Chakraborty U, Chandra A. Bitot’s spots, dry eyes, and night blindness indicate vitamin A deficiency. Lancet. 2021 Jan 16;397(10270):e2. [PubMed]

27. Altinbas E, Elibol A, Fıratlı G, Ayhan C, Celebi ARC. Assessment of risk factors on eye dryness in young adults using visual display device in both contact lens wearers and non-wearers. Int Ophthalmol. 2023 Feb;43(2):441-450. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

28. Trindade M, Rodrigues M, Pozzebon ME, Aranha FJP, Colella MP, Fernandes A, Fornazari DO, de Almeida Borges D, Vigorito AC, Alves M. A plethora of ocular surface manifestations in a multidisciplinary ocular graft-versus-host disease unit. Sci Rep. 2022 Sep 23;12(1):15926. [PMC free article] [PubMed]

29. Choudhry HS, Hosseini S, Choudhry HS, Fatahzadeh M, Khianey R, Dastjerdi MH. Updates in diagnostics, treatments, and correlations between oral and ocular manifestations of Sjogren’s syndrome. Ocul Surf. 2022 Oct;26:75-87. [PubMed]

30. Zou X, Lu L, Xu Y, Zhu J, He J, Zhang B, Zou H. Prevalence and clinical characteristics of dry eye disease in community-based type 2 diabetic patients: the Beixinjing eye study. BMC Ophthalmol. 2018 May 10;18(1):117. [PMC free article] [PubMed]