Is it normal to feel constant pain with dry eyes? Does it keep getting worse with years if you don’t go for more serious treatments instead of just eye drops?
Dry eye symptoms
are some of the most common complaints that bring patients to eye doctors,
especially in older patients. Post-menopausal white women whose ethnic background
is northern European (blonde, often blue eyes) are at the highest risk profile.
While it sounds like a trivial problem, dry eye or tear film insufficiency can
certainly be an irritating, even painful condition, that can get to the point
of requiring multiple repeated application of topical lubricants (artificial
tears) throughout the day. It can also compromise the quality of vision to a
noticeable degree under certain conditions.
Sadly, it does tend to get worse with age if not evaluated and treated properly.
_Written by J. Trevor Woodhams, M.D. - Chief
of Surgery, Woodhams Eye Clinic