You put in eye drops, feel better for a little while, and then the burning or gritty feeling returns. If that sounds familiar, you may need more than another bottle of artificial tears. Drops can add moisture, but dry eye disease has several possible causes. Finding yours is the first step toward a treatment plan that fits.

Eye Drops Can Help Without Solving the Cause

Artificial tears are useful for many people. They lubricate the eye’s surface and can ease symptoms, especially when dryness is occasional. If you need them repeatedly and still feel uncomfortable, it is worth having your eyes examined.

Your eyes may make too few tears, or the tears you make may evaporate too quickly. Screen use, contact lenses, medications, and other health factors can also contribute. The right treatment depends on what is happening with your eyes. Learn more about the symptoms and options on our dry eye treatment page.

What Do Your Eyelid Glands Have to Do With Dry Eye?

Tiny meibomian glands along your eyelids release oil into your tears. That oil helps keep tears from evaporating too fast. When the glands become blocked or do not release oil properly, you may develop meibomian gland dysfunction, sometimes called MGD.

With MGD, adding moisture may bring temporary relief while the tear film remains unstable. Your eyes might burn, feel gritty, water excessively, or become blurry as the day goes on. These symptoms can have other causes, too, so an eye exam matters more than guessing based on how your eyes feel.

A comprehensive eye exam gives your eye doctor a chance to assess your eye health and decide whether further dry eye evaluation is appropriate. Tell them which drops you use, how often you use them, and when symptoms are worst.

What Can Chronic Dry Eye Treatment Include?

A plan may combine approaches. Depending on the cause, your eye doctor might recommend changes to your daily routine, eyelid care, a different type of drop, prescription treatment, or an in-office procedure. You may still use drops while addressing factors that make dryness keep returning.

For some people whose symptoms are linked to MGD, IPL therapy for dry eye may be an option. Intense pulsed light therapy applies controlled pulses of light to the skin around the eyes. It is intended to help manage inflammation associated with MGD and improve tear stability. It is not the right choice for every type of dry eye, and an eye doctor should assess whether it is suitable for you. Read about the practice’s IPL treatment for dry eye.

When Is It Time to Get Help?

Consider an evaluation if you reach for drops every day, symptoms return soon after using them, or discomfort affects reading, screen work, or contact lens wear. Persistent redness, pain, light sensitivity, or changes in vision also deserve prompt attention rather than more self-treatment.

At EyeCare Professionals of Powell, our team can help identify what is contributing to your symptoms and discuss appropriate next steps. If drops have become a temporary fix, request an appointment with our team in Powell to start looking for the reason.