1. Don't Cry
When you have dry eye syndrome, you don't produce tears. Dry eye syndrome stems from either decreased tear production, increased tear evaporation or abnormal mucus production in the eye. Certain factors can make you a candidate for problems with normal eye tearing. Several conditions and diseases can cause dry eye syndrome. You're at risk if you have arthritis, lupus, stroke, Bell's palsy or hormone disorders. Normal activities can also cause problems with your tear production. For example, when you read or watch TV, you may experience the symptoms of dry eye syndrome.
2. You're So Sensitive
Since dry eye syndrome results from tear production complications, your eyes feel uncomfortable. You can monitor your symptoms as a way to diagnose dry eye syndrome. Your eyes probably feel dry and itchy. You likely have some sensitivity to light and feel as though you have something stuck in your eye. When you look in the mirror, your eyes may appear red. Dry eye syndrome can also affect your vision by making objects appear blurry. Since your eyes feel so sensitive and dry, you'll probably start using eye drops to ease the discomfort. Certain conditions will worsen your dry eye syndrome symptoms. If you're in a hot and dry climate, your eyes will feel worse. Windy weather and low humidity can also bring on dry eye syndrome symptoms. At the end of the day, you may feel discomfort in your eyes if you spent the day looking at a computer monitor or watching television.
3. Look Into My Eyes
If you have the symptoms of dry eye syndrome, you'll want to make an appointment with your eye doctor to confirm diagnosis. Let the doctor know when your eyes feel irritated and dry and how often. Your eye doctor may first check your vision before performing an examination of the actual eye. He'll use a microscope and inspect different parts of your eye. Through the microscope, he can see the tear film of your eyes. He'll judge the thickness and quantity of the tear film to tell if you have dry eye syndrome. Since dry eye syndrome can damage the cornea, he'll look at that as well during the exam. After the initial exam, your doctor may place eye drops containing dyes into your eyes. Through monitoring the dye, your eye doctor sees if the dry eye syndrome caused any damage to your eye health. In some cases, you may have paper placed inside your eyelid. Your doctor will then measure the amount of tears on the paper after a set time has passed. All of these tests can provide a definitive diagnosis of dry eye syndrome.
