Artificial tears have been the mainstay of dry eye treatment. Until recently, these used to be recommended like cigarette brands--doctors would hand out whatever they had in the sample closet, and patients would pick their brand. Patients would find that no matter how long or how frequently they used these drops their eyes would still be dry. Fortunately, Jeffrey Gilbard, MD, working at Harvard Medical School's Schepens Eye Research Institute, has developed an eye drop call TheraTears.

Dry eye is a catch-all term referring to abnormalities of the tear layer which normally coats the surfaces of the eyes, providing clear vision and protecting sensitive surface tissues. Other names for dry eye include dry eye syndrome, chronic dry eye, dry eye disease, and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. Dry eye does not mean your eyes are "dry" - in fact, many people who suffer from dry eye have chronically watery eyes. (Click here for more about dry eye symptoms.

Dry eye syndrome is a condition caused by loss of water from the tear film. When the tear film loses water the concentration of salts and proteins, relative to the amount of water, increases--the tear film concentration increases. When tear film concentration increases scientists say that its "osmolarity" increases. This increase in tear film osmolarity causes the characteristic irritation and changes on the eye surface known as dry eye syndrome.

There are many different causes of the conditions collectively referred to as dry eye syndrome, including:

Jeffrey Gilbard, MD, conducting research sponsored by the National Eye Institute, has proven that dry eye is caused by any condition that increases tear film evaporation, or by any condition that decreases tear production. These conditions, in turn, may be caused by a dietary deficiency of omega-3 essential fatty acids. Evaporation can increase from chronic eye lid inflammation or "blepharitis," specifically posterior blepharitis or meibomitis.

Dry eye syndrome does not truly come and go, but in the early stages of the condition, or with mild dry eye, you may only have symptoms after long days, or with environmental conditions that decrease your blink rate (i.e. computer use) or under conditions that increase evaporation from your tear film (i.e. wind, dry air, etc.). Some patients may notice discomfort only when they wear their contact lenses.

Symptoms vary greatly. Some symptoms, such as watery eyes, are surprising. Some of the most common symptoms experienced by dry eye patients:

Treatments need to be tailored for the type of dry eye. While some treatments attempt to treat the source, with moderate to severe dry eye it is almost always necessary to use treatments and products which reduce the symptoms so that the life-impact is lessened.

While eye drops can give temporary relief from the symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome, studies have shown that increased consumption of foods rich in Omega-3 acids can reduce various forms of eye inflammation (blepharitis, tear gland, etc.) that can cause Dry Eye Syndrome. These fatty acids are also used by the glands in the eyelid to create a healthy layer of oil in the tear film that help to keep the eye hydrated.

Chronic, longstanding redness of the eyes is most commonly caused by either chronic meibomitis (inflammation of the oils glands in the eye lid) or dry eye. If symptoms are worse upon awakening, and especially if the eyes are their most red upon first eye opening in the morning, the most likely cause of the redness is posterior blepharitis or meibomitis.

Multiple groups are struggling to develop better treatments for dry eye. As news comes in regarding these projects you will see announcements and analysis on this site at Dry Eye News. If you would like to get this news delivered to your email address, subscribe to our Dry Eye Breaking News service.

Nutriex Dry Eye contains a rich combination of Omega-3 fatty acids. Fish oil provides a total of 600 mg of EPA and DHA, and organic flaxseed oil adds nearly 1200 mg of ALA per day. Vitamin E in the form of natural mixed tocopherols is included as an antioxidant.

Patients who quit taking a rich source of Omega 3 fatty acids generally experience symptoms come back after about one month. There is a general consensus that ongoing recurrent problems result in scarring and actual loss of the glands producing tears and meibom; therefore, it makes sense to have an ongoing treatment just as you would with nutritional elements such as Vitamin C and Calcium.

Dry eye is hard to to diagnose in its mild to moderate forms, but we do know that contact lens wearers are at a higher risk for dry symptoms. Other potential risk factors, such as hormone and drug use and the environment, make differential diagnosis a challenge.

Up to 25% of all visits to eye doctors are due to dry eye, making it one of the most common complaints seen by eye doctors.

Chronic irritation of the surface of the eye can eventually cause a disruption in the normal tear-producing system, including the lacrimal gland. This can result in a declining production and quantity of tears. High risk factors for Chronic Dry Eye include those individuals with health factors such as hormonal changes associated with aging and menopause, auto-immune diseases such as arthritis, lupus, and Sjögren's syndrome.