Dry Eye is a disease that millions of people suffer from. Yet in the majority of cases it goes undiagnosed. Often, this is because sufferers misunderstand the symptoms. Have you experienced any symptoms from the list below?

• Redness
• Burning
• Itching
• Fluctuation in vision
• Feeling of sand or grit in eye
• Contact lens discomfort
• Light sensitivity
• Watery eyes
• Tired eyes

If you have experienced two or more of these symptoms you may have Dry Eye Disease.

People with these symptoms often assume they are caused by external irritants, or that they are just part of life. In fact, Dry Eye Disease occurs when your eyes do not produce enough tears or produce poor-quality tears. This can happen for a number of reasons, including aging, hormonal changes in women, side effects of diseases or medications, and other causes.

That’s why it’s essential you get your tear film and the front of your eye analyzed by a professional eye doctor. The doctors at Charles River Eye use a sequence of tests in order to properly diagnose your dry eye problem and treat it appropriately. For example the doctor will take a small sample of tears from each eye to measure osmolarity. Osmolarity is an accepted standard for diagnosing Dry Eye Disease. This test along with other diagnostic tests will allow the doctor to make a meaningful assessment of your dry eye disease. Once all this results from this testing is analyzed a treatment regimen can be tailored to your specific condition.