Will Drinking More Water Help Dry Eye Symptoms?
Do your eyes constantly feel dry? Do they get more irritated when you wear contact lenses?
These are signs that you could have dry eye syndrome. Understanding dry eye and its possible solutions is vital.
This awareness can help you change your life to improve your lifestyle. It is up to you to determine when your dry eye impacts your life so much that you need to treat it.
Keep reading to learn more about dry eyes and if drinking more water helps dry eye symptoms.
What is Dry Eye?
If your eyes are constantly irritated, you probably have dry eye syndrome. People with dry eye have described it as a stinging or burning feeling in their eyes.
Dry eyes can come from health problems or environmental conditions. Examples of environmental causes are air conditioning or heat, airplanes, and screen use.
Dry eye syndrome usually comes from an internal issue like lack of oil in your tears or inadequate tear production. Understanding the causes and symptoms of dry eyes can help you keep your eyes healthy.
What are The Symptoms of Dry Eye?
If you have dry eyes, you can experience a range of symptoms. Some include:
- Red eyes
- Feeling like there’s something in your eyes
- Blurry vision
- A gritty sensation in your eyes
- Itchy eyes
- Sensitivity to light
Also, if your eyes are watery all the time, they are overproducing tears. Your body creates tears to keep your eyes moist and healthy, especially if they are dry.
If your body thinks your eyes are dry, it will signal your brain to create more tears. If your tears lack oil, this will create a feedback loop where your eyes water but remain dry.
That’s because the oil in tears prevents them from evaporating off your eyes. When there’s no oil, tears evaporate quickly, dehydrating your eyes.
What Causes Dry Eyes?
There are many reasons you can get dry eyes. One potential health-related cause is an issue with your tear production system.
That could mean the chemistry of your tears is unhealthy, or you aren’t producing enough tears. Causes tied to the environment are the wind, heat or AC blowing, being around smoke, or living in a dry climate.
Environmental causes don’t give you dry eye syndrome. But the symptoms are just as uncomfortable. Other health-related reasons are:
- Aging
- Allergies
- Conditions that affect your tear production
- Side effects from prescription drugs
- Conditions that inflame your eyelids or skin
Dry eyes can also be a side effect of having LASIK. If you have dry eyes after LASIK, they should resolve within a month or two.
Does Drinking Water Help Your Dry Eyes?
Like the rest of your body, your eyes need water to be healthy. Water helps keep your eyes moist and produces healthy tears.
Lack of tear production is a sign of dry eye syndrome. Drinking enough water is a simple way to resolve your dry eye syndrome.
To keep your body healthy, you should drink eight to ten glasses of water every day. Caffeinated and alcoholic beverages do not count because they can dehydrate you!
So, if you do not like water, try eating foods with lots of water. For example, cucumber and watermelon contain a lot of water.
If drinking water does not help your dry eyes, you may need a more involved treatment. There are numerous in-office dry eye treatments available.
Do you need help handling your dry eyes? Schedule an appointment at Ginsberg Eye in Naples, FL, to get the help you need. Find out which dry eye treatment is best for you!
