Dry Eyes and Allergy Eyes

Dr. Johnson I have been told that I have dry eyes but my eyes water a lot how can that be?

If your eyes are dry the nerve endings are exposed and that sends a signal to your lacrimal gland to produce more tears like crying or when you cut onions. Your eyes seem watery which is a reflex response to an underlying condition which is dryness. The eye is actually not producing enough of the right kind of tears and that’s why they water.

Dr. Johnson are there any cures for dry eyes?

We treat with the simplest things available which are certain over the counter tear replenishing drops. We monitor the success with that for the patient. If that does not work I prescribe medication eye drops and vitamin supplements and sometimes we insert plugs that keep the tears from draining.

Dr. Johnson I have a lot of allergies and my eyes itch do my allergies cause my eyes to itch?

Yes they can but you can also be allergic to airborne allergens like dust or mold spores, cat and dog hair as well. There are over the counter eye drops that usually end in –A. Check with your eye doctor first before taking these drops because something else may be going on.

Dr. Johnson if I have allergies can I not wear contact lenses?

No there are certain eye drops that we can prescribe that will usually allow you to wear contacts under the supervision of your eye doctor.

Dr. Johnson if my eyes are dry will I not be able to wear contact lenses?

Not necessarily but if we diagnosis you with dry eyes you may not be able to wear contacts as many hours in a day as you would like. We have ways to test for that and if your eyes are too dry and there are not medications that we can prescribe to help your condition then we will probably limit the amount of time that you could comfortably wear contact lenses. There are medications to prescribe for dry eyes but they don’t always work for everyone.