Dry eyes, like many other conditions, span a spectrum from mild to severe.
Mild cases of dry eyes, such as those which are considered 'situational' (associated with factors such as prolonged near visual work, dry environments) are relatively innocuous and do not affect the health of the eye in any way.
Severe cases, which are uncommon, can cause problems such as inflammation, corneal 'epithelial defects', and possibly corneal scarring.
But dryness per se does not directly cause other eye conditions such as glaucoma.
Treatment of dry eyes in general involve:
1. Addressing contributing factors, such as prolonged near visual work, avoiding/stopping medications such as isotretinoin, minimising or avoiding contact lens wear, especially soft contact lenses
2. Tear supplementation with eye drops or gels/ointments
3. Other helpful measures such as punctal plugging where necessary
There is often no simple or single cure for eye dryness ie there is no tablet or eyedrop that you can take for a few days and then never have the problem again.
To address dry eyes on waking in the morning, many people find using a gel such as Vidisic gel or Genteal gel at night before sleep to be helpful, as the gels last longer in the eye compared with eyedrops.
If the eyes are not fully closed at night while sleeping, some people use oil based ointments (such as Duratears) that do not evaporate, or rarely, special goggles that cover the eyes while the person sleeps.
*Vidisic, Genteal, Duratears are all available over the counter at pharmacies such as Guardian or Watson's.
