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You Are a Chronic Dry Eye Pro

Whoa – you really know your stuff. But there is always more to learn when it comes to chronic dry eye.

See the correct answers to the quiz below – and check out these helpful resources to dive deeper into chronic dry eye.

Chronic Dry Eye: Parts and Function of Your Eyes and Tears

Chronic dry eye is also known as dry eye syndrome (DES) or dry eye disease (DED). Dry eye is characterized by damage to the surface of the eye as a...

Question 1: Chronic dry eye can occur when your eye:

Correct answer: Does not make enough quality tears

Tears help nourish, lubricate, and protect the front surface of the eye. But what if your eyes do not produce enough tears? Or your tears are poor quality? This can lead to chronic dry eye disease.

Chronic dry eye is more than just occasional dryness. Symptoms can vary from person to person, ranging from burning to itching to blurry vision to light sensitivity. Common triggers include scents or fumes, allergies, prolonged screen time, and dry weather.

Question 2: People with another eye condition may be more likely to have chronic dry eye.

Correct answer: True

It is not uncommon for those diagnosed with other eye conditions also to have dry eye.

For example, many people living with glaucoma also experience chronic dry eye. Glaucoma is caused by a buildup of pressure inside the eye. While dry eye does not cause glaucoma, the two conditions can occur simultaneously. One of the reasons? Even though dry eye and glaucoma can manifest at any age, their prevalence increases as you get older. Similarly, cataracts can often occur with dry eye disease. It is important to talk to your doctor about symptom management and treatment options if you are diagnosed with another eye condition and dry eye.

Chronic Dry Eye and Other Eye Conditions

Chronic dry eye (CDE) is a common disease that happens when your eye does not make enough tears or there is a problem with the tears that are made. Recent...

How Can Chronic Dry Eye Affect Daily Activities?

If you struggle with chronic dry eye, you are not alone. An estimated 16.4 million people in the United States have been diagnosed with chronic dry eye. This number is...

Expanding My Circle of Support for My Dry Eye Disease

How are you doing? This question is asked of most everyone on a daily basis. But when you walk around with a chronic yet invisible condition like dry eye disease,...

Question 3: The goal of dry eye treatment is to:

Correct answer: Improve tear production

Dry eye treatments focus on improving the quality of tears. Depending on the diagnosis, this is done in one of three ways: by adding tears, increasing tear production, or conserving tears.

Mild cases can often be managed with over-the-counter medications, like artificial tears. To encourage your eyes to make their own tears, your doctor may recommend prescription eye drops to treat inflammation. And for conserving natural tears, your doctors may insert punctal plugs – tiny devices placed into the lower tear ducts.

Be open with your doctor about your symptoms. Left untreated, chronic dry eye can lead to infection, scarring of the cornea, and damage to your eyesight.