What is Dry Eye | West Shore Eye Care

Understanding Is Half The Battle

If you struggle with uncomfortable, irritated, watery eyes, then you might be experiencing dry eye syndrome.

Although dry eye affects many people across the country, it can be difficult for patients to locate a doctor who truly specializes in the care of dry eye patients. We are happy to welcome you to the Dry Eye Center of West Michigan and look forward to providing the help you need to alleviate your symptoms. Visiting our comprehensive dry eye center is the first step toward regaining and enjoying comfortable vision!

Our comprehensive dry eye center is ready to help. Learn more about our approach by visiting our Diagnosing Dry Eye and Dry Eye Treatment & Strategies pages, or get started on finding the comfort you deserve by booking your appointment today.

Wondering if you have dry eye? Take our Dry Eye Quiz!

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What Is Dry Eye?

Dry eye is a condition that affects the quality or quantity of tears needed to keep your eyes comfortable.

Your tear film is responsible for providing that comfort. The tear film covers the surface of your eyes and uses 3 essential ingredients to maintain its stability and comfort your eyes: mucus, water, and oil.

If an issue affects the stability of your tear film, you can develop dry eye symptoms.

Understanding Your Tear Film

Let’s look at each essential ingredient of your tear film:

Mucus

Mucus is the innermost layer of your tear film, responsible for adhering and spreading your tears evenly across your eye surface.

Water

Water, produced by your lacrimal glands, provides essential hydration for your eyes.

Oil

Oils, also known as meibum, are produced by your meibomian glands located on the edges of your eyelids. Meibum helps prevent your tear film from evaporating too quickly.

Types of Dry Eye

While several factors can contribute to dry eye symptoms, we can organize these into 2 different types: evaporative dry eye and aqueous tear deficiency.

We can determine which type of dry eye you have when you come in for an appointment. Please visit our Diagnosing Dry Eye page for some of the diagnosis strategies we use.

Evaporative Dry Eye

Evaporative dry eye is the most common version of the condition. It occurs when your tear film lacks the oil content needed to keep your tears from evaporating too quickly.

The most common cause of evaporative dry eye is meibomian gland dysfunction, which we’ll explore further on this page.

Aqueous Tear Deficiency

Aqueous tear deficiency occurs when your tears lack enough water to keep your eyes hydrated. This issue develops for several reasons and can be associated with overall health concerns like Sjögren’s syndrome.

Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Leading Cause of Dry Eye

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is one of the most common causes of dry eye, specifically evaporative dry eye. In fact, evaporative dry eye is so common that it’s responsible for up to 85% of all dry eye cases!

MGD occurs when blockages in your meibomian glands prevent oils from stabilizing your tear film, causing it to evaporate too quickly. Your meibomian glands are located on the ridges of your eyelid and can develop MGD because of inflammation, poor lid hygiene, or blockages inside the gland.

We offer several different strategies to help manage MGD. Learn more by visiting our Dry Eye Treatments & Strategies page.