Why does dry eye occur?

Generally, dry eye is caused by a tear deficit (low tear production or excessive evaporation) or because the tear is of poor quality due to problems such as dysfunction of the Meibomian glands (lack or alteration of the lipids that make up the tear) or blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelid). In addition, it is usually associated with different degrees of inflammation.

The causes are very diverse and can occur in isolation or in combination. The main risk factors for dry eye include the following:

• Hormonal (adolescence/menopause).
• Advanced age
• Use of contact lenses
• Consumption of antidepressant and antihistamine (allergy) drugs.
• Treatment with chemotherapy or radiotherapy
• Having had eye surgery
• Environmental factors (air conditioning, heating, dry or very polluted environments…)
• Diet (vitamin deficiency)
• Autoimmune diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren's syndrome, fibromyalgia, etc.).

Source: https://bit.ly/3xDHO33