Lack of sufficient tear film leads to the eyes drying out and becoming inflamed. Dry eyes affect around a third of people aged 65 or older and is more common in women.
The symptoms
These include itchiness, sore or gritty feelings, redness, blurred vision, light sensitivity, sticky eyes and, curiously, excessive watering. Symptoms usually get worse as you tire during the day.
Often it’s caused by blepharitis, an inflammation of the lid edge disrupting the tear film over the eye, and also rarer conditions such as Sjögren syndrome and lupus.
Various factors worsen the symptoms, such as ageing, wearing contact lenses, staring at a computer screen without a break and being in a dry or air conditioned room or outside in windy, cold or dusty air.
It will also worsen…
