Dry eye disease affects an estimated 1 in 3 adults and is increasing rapidly, driven largely by the explosion in screen use. Despite being common, it’s often misunderstood — and many people are treating the wrong cause with the wrong product.

Understanding Dry Eye Disease

Tears are not just water — they’re a complex three-layer film: an outer oily layer (produced by meibomian glands in the eyelids) that prevents evaporation, a middle aqueous layer (from lacrimal glands), and an inner mucin layer that helps the tear film spread evenly. Dry eye occurs when the balance of this film is disrupted: either insufficient tear production (aqueous-deficient dry eye) or, more commonly, poor tear quality with rapid evaporation (evaporative dry eye, caused by meibomian gland dysfunction).

Causes and Risk Factors

  • Screen use — reduced blink rate (from 12–15 to 4–6 blinks per minute) allows more evaporation
  • Contact lenses — absorb tears from the ocular surface
  • Air conditioning and central heating — low humidity environments dramatically increase evaporation
  • Menopause — oestrogen supports meibomian gland function; its decline causes evaporative dry eye
  • Antihistamines — reduce tear secretion as a side effect
  • Beta-blockers, antidepressants, oral contraceptives
  • Rosacea (often causes associated meibomian gland dysfunction)

Choosing the Right Eye Drops

Preservative-free drops — essential for anyone using drops more than 4 times daily or for prolonged periods. Preservatives (particularly benzalkonium chloride) are toxic to corneal epithelium with repeated use. Unit-dose vials or preservative-free multi-dose bottles. Sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid) drops — Hylo Tear, HyloFort, Hycosan — excellent lubricating properties, long contact time, well tolerated. HyloFort has a higher concentration (0.2% vs 0.1%) for more severe cases. Carmellose sodium (carboxymethylcellulose) — Celluvisc — viscous, long-lasting lubrication. Good for moderate to severe dry eye. May cause temporary blurring on instillation. Carbomer gel (Viscotears, Liposic) — excellent for nighttime use or very severe dryness. Forms a gel-like layer on the eye. Systane range — widely available, multiple formulations for different dry eye types. Lipid-based drops (Systane Complete, Cationorm) — target evaporative dry eye by supplementing the oily layer.

Eye Hygiene for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Warm compresses (a warm, damp cloth over closed eyelids for 10 minutes) soften the meibomian gland secretions. Following with lid massage (gentle pressure along the lid margin with a fingertip) expresses the oils into the tear film. Lid scrubs (Blephaclean wipes, Blephasol) remove debris and excess bacteria from the lid margins. This “warm compress – massage – cleanse” routine, done twice daily, can dramatically improve evaporative dry eye over 4–8 weeks.

Shop Dry Eye Drops and Eye Drops at Chemist 2 Customer. Related: Hayfever Eye Drops.