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Dry Eye: Why is it a Disease and not just a Nuisance?
Do you have dry eyes? Up to 12
million Americans suffer from a
disease called dry eye syndrome.
People with dry eyes frequently
experience burning and stinging of
their eyes, their eyes often feel sticky,
and their eyes are often red. Some
people with dry eyes also have periods
when their eyes get so watery that
tears spill over their eyelids and run
down their cheeks.
Your eyes normally make small
amounts of tears all day long. Tears
play several important roles in keeping
your eyes healthy and your vision
clear. Tears lubricate the eye’s surface,
wash away debris, provide a
smooth surface to help keep your
vision clear, and also contain natural
antibiotics that keep your eyes safe
from germs that might cause infections.
Tears coat the eye in a smooth film
made up of three separate layers. The
layer of tears closest to the front
surface of the eye is called the mucin
layer. Its job is to smooth out the
uneven spots on the eye surface. Next,
a layer of aqueous tears covers the
mucin layer. The aqueous layer is
watery, and makes up the majority of
the tear film. Its job is to lubricate the
eye and keep it moist. The final layer
of the tear film is an oily layer called
the lipid layer. This is the outermost
layer, and its job is to cover the aqueous
layer and prevent it from evaporating.
Each layer of the tear film is made by
a different part of the eye. The mucin
layer is made by the eye surface itself.
The aqueous layer is made by a tear
gland tucked under the upper eyelid.
And the lipid layer is made by small
glands in the eyelids. For the tear film
to do its job, all three layers have to be
in their proper places in the correct
amounts, like a recipe. If any layer is
missing or abnormal—which can
happen for a number of reasons—the
tear film becomes disorganized and no
longer soothes the eye like it should.
When that happens, the symptoms of
dry eye syndrome occur. The front
surface of the eye gets dried out
(causing stickiness) and gets inflamed
(causing stinging and burning). Once it
gets inflamed, the eye ignores the
proper tear film recipe and starts
making large quantities of the aqueous
layer in an effort to soothe itself.
These bad tears don’t soothe the eye
at all—they just run down your face,
washing away the mucin and lipid
layers as well. This makes the eye
even more irritated, so it makes even
more bad tears, and the cycle continues.
For some people, the stinging and
burning and redness and watering may
seem like little more than a nuisance,
but in fact, if left untreated, dry eye
syndrome can lead to serious eye
problems, including blindness. Dry
eyes are inflamed eyes. Inflammation
of the front surface of the eye increases
the risk of some infections,
and can also lead to scarring. Once
scarring occurs, permanent loss of
sight can occur.
If you have symptoms of dry eye
syndrome, call us at (303)293-9311 to schedule a dry eye evaluation. Treatments are
available to halt the disease and
save your sight.
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