What Are the Treatments for Dry Eyes?

Although there is no cure for dry eyes, proper treatment can help ease and control symptoms. Depending on the severity of the problem, treatments for dry eyes can range from over-the-counter artificial tear solutions to surgery.

Considerations

• Before choosing a treatment for dry eyes, consider the cause of the problem and discuss your options with your ophthalmologist.

Approaches

• Approaches used to treat dry eyes include adding tears using artificial tear solutions, preserving tears with plugs or surgery, and increasing tear production with prescription eye drops.

Treatments

• Over-the-counter artificial tear solutions can treat mild cases of dry eyes. Using prescription eye drops, blocking the tear ducts with tiny plugs or permanently closing the tear ducts with surgery can help more severe cases.

Tips

• Staying hydrated, wearing wraparound sunglasses outdoors, using Omega-3 nutritional supplements and increasing the air humidity at home and work may also help to treat dry eyes.

Warning

• Treating dry eyes with certain over-the-counter artificial tear solutions may increase eye irritation. According to the American Optometric Association, using a preservative-free tear solution is less likely to irritate the eyes.