June 26, 2020

When you have dry eyes, you don’t have adequate tears to nourish and lubricate your eyes. Eyes need healthy tears in order to have a clear vision and to maintain eye health. If you have dry eyes, you may experience symptoms that are uncomfortable, and these symptoms can impact the clarity of your vision. You may be wondering if dry eye syndrome can cause permanent vision loss.
 

The Answer to the Question

Thankfully, though the symptoms you experience may be uncomfortable, dry eye syndrome does not directly cause vision loss or blindness.
 

The Symptoms

• Eye pain and redness
   

• Stinging or burning sensation in your eye
   

• Heavy eyelids
   

• Intolerance to activities that require longer visual concentration
   

• Eye fatigue
   

• Blurry vision
   

• Excessive tearing after a dry eye episode
   

• Failure to produce tears when crying

The Complications

If you have dry eye syndrome, you may suffer from damage to the surface of your eyes or increased eye infections. Your quality of life could be impacted because these dry eye complications could hinder you from doing your daily activities.
 

Preventive Measures

There are ways to prevent and to treat dry eye syndrome. To prevent the occurrence of dry eye symptoms, you can take these preventive measures:
 

• Be aware of changes in your environment. If the air around you is dry, you can purchase a humidifier to supply moisture to the air. You can also close your eyes for a short while if you’re on a plane or an arid area.

• Protect your eyes. Avoid having air blow directly into your eyes. You can do this by aiming heaters, fans, hairdryers, and air conditioners away from your face. Also wear eyewear that blocks sunlight, debris, and wind from your eyes.

• Take breaks. Reading or using a computer requires a lot of concentration. Make sure to rest your eyes by blinking regularly or closing them for a few moments.

• Stop smoking. Smoking can lead to other health concerns, but it also can make dry eye symptoms worse.

• Use artificial tears. While not a permanent solution to dry eyes, you can get some relief from using eye drops when you feel that your eyes are getting dry.

• Place your computer monitor below your eye level. Doing this will help you blink more completely while focusing on your screen, which can slow down the evaporation of your tears.

Having dry eyes can be irritating and discouraging. Although dry eye syndrome doesn’t cause blindness, its symptoms are annoying and can prevent you from doing your normal tasks. At East Main Vision Clinic, we offer treatments as a long-term solution to dry eye symptoms and chronic dry eye. Call us at 253-780-0700 if you have any questions or to schedule an appointment.