How to Care for Dry Eyes

Dry eyes are often painful, and treating them may require a doctor’s care. There are some ways to treat dry eyes at home before making an appointment with an eye doctor. If home remedies do not work, it is important to contact a doctor as soon as possible before the problem gets any worse.

• Blink frequently to try and relieve some dry eye pain. For example, if you work on a computer most of the day, blink your eyes each time you complete a short task. Leave yourself a note next to your computer screen as a reminder to blink your eyes.


• Take out your contacts and wear glasses whenever possible. If you wear contacts, they can often contribute to or even cause dry eyes. Leave your contacts out for several days to see if that helps your dry eyes.


• Wear sunglasses when you are outside for an extended period of time. You will help to prevent the wind from drying out your eyes and also reduce the brightness of the sun. Ask your optometrist to recommend a good pair of sunglasses to buy or do some online research to find the information.


• Buy an artificial tear product from a local pharmacy. Do some research or talk with a pharmacist to find the best product to buy. Read the instructions on the bottle and use the product as recommended to see if your dry eye problem improves.


• Make an appointment with an eye doctor if you want to get a prescription medication. Tell the doctor how long you have had the dry eye problem and also what you have done to try and cure it on your own at home. The doctor will give you a prescription for the proper medication to take. Contact the eye doctor if the problem will not go away to discuss your other options.