Having dry eyes is a common experience for many individuals, causing symptoms such as a burning sensation in the eyes, stringy mucus in or around the eyes, light sensitivity, eye redness, watery eyes, blurred vision, and more. If you buy contacts online direct and wear them daily, you might even begin to notice them becoming difficult to wear if you are suffering from dry eyes. A common treatment is eye drops, such as Bausch and Lomb artificial tears or Cequa eye drops—if you’re concerned about financing prescription eye drops, be sure to look into optometrist medical insurance or things like Cequa eye drops coupons. Another important thing to consider is what has caused your dry eyes, in order to prevent it from occurring again. Here are 6 hidden causes of dry eyes that might be the problem for you:

1. Hormone changes

Hormone changes, such as changing levels of estrogen and progesterone, can impact the meibomian gland (where the oil layer of your tear film is produced). This, in turn, can cause dryness or irritation. Additionally, estrogen levels can cause the cornea to become more elastic and cause a change in the way light is refracted.

2. Autoimmune disease

Inflammation caused by an autoimmune disease can damage tear glands and impact their ability to make enough fluid. On the other hand, inflammation can also target oil glands in the eyelids, and without oil, your tears will evaporate too soon. In either scenario, the outcome will be dry eyes.

3. Inflamed eyelid glands

There are 3 layers of tears: oily layer, water layer, and a sticky mucus layer. Inflamed eyelid glands prevent the oily layer of tears from working properly, allowing the watery layer of the tears to dry out, thus causing dry eyes.

4. Allergies

If you have allergies, it’s very likely that you’ve experienced dry, itchy eyes on more than one occasion. This occurs as a result of environmental factors, such as pollen, dust mites, pet dander, etc., triggering an allergic reaction and causing inflammation. Inflammation in the eye area can reduce tear production and lead to dry eye symptoms.

5. Decreased tear production 

If your eyes don’t produce enough liquid tears, your eyes can become very dry. This commonly happens with aging, but it can also be a result of certain medical conditions, a side effect of some medications, frequent contact lens use, nerve damage, or laser eye surgery. The medical term for this condition is keratoconjunctivitis sicca.

6. Increased tear evaporation

Contrasting decreased tear production, increased tear evaporation is another cause of dry eyes. If this is the case, the oil film produced by small glands on the edge of your eyelids may become clogged. This is often the result of meibomian gland dysfunction, blinking less often (caused by diseases like Parkinson’s), eyelid issues, eye allergies, preservatives in topical eye drops, wind, smoke, or dry air, or a Vitamin A deficiency.