Season of Dry Eyes

By Christine Gorman

Chapped, dry hands and rough, patchy elbows are two signs that you're not as young as you used to be. But most of us don't think much about how aging--not to mention the desiccating effects of wintry winds and overheating--also dries out the thin film of tears that bathes and protects our eyes. For 10 million Americans, the problem is bad enough that they suffer from something called dry-eye syndrome. Their eyes become dry and itchy or, at the other extreme, produce excessive quantities of tears. Their vision may get blurry, or they may find they can't leave their contacts in for very long. In severe cases, sufferers develop infections that can lead to blindness.

Fortunately, chronically dry eyes can usually be treated. There are dozens of over-the-counter products designed to moisten or lubricate your eyes, but you should resist the temptation to play doctor and instead should seek out an eye-care specialist. Dry eyes may be associated with an underlying medical condition like lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, eczema, a viral infection or something called Sjogren's syndrome, says Dr. Esen Akpek, an ophthalmologist who runs the dry-eye clinic at Johns Hopkins' Wilmer Eye Institute. "You can also overdo it with eyedrops and actually wash out your own tears," Akpek says. Also, watch for products whose active ingredients end with the suffix -zoline. Those are vasoconstrictors designed to reduce redness and should not be used for more than a few days, since they can trigger a rebound effect, increasing redness.

Research over the past decade has shown that the film covering your eyes is quite complicated. There's an inner layer of sugary proteins, followed by a more watery middle layer and then an oily layer on top. Chronic dry eye can result from an imbalance in any part of the film. For example, the oily layer, which is produced by glands at the base of the eyelashes, keeps tears from evaporating too quickly. If you don't make enough oil, you may need one of the thicker over-the-counter eyedrops to bolster that layer, along with warm compresses on your eyelids to open the glands.

Another potential problem is an inflammatory reaction that can be treated with eyedrops containing cyclosporine. For that, you need a doctor's prescription.

In the meantime, you can help keep your eyes moist by setting up a humidifier, taking frequent breaks from the computer and removing your contacts every now and then.