![]() Pharmaceutical use also increases as we age, and some medications can affect tear gland function, contributing to dry eye. There’s a thinning of tissue and an atrophy of the glands that keep skin moist and healthy.”Īlso, as we age, we’re more likely to have medical conditions that can impact our tear function, triggering dry eye - among them, systemic autoimmune diseases (such as rheumatoid arthritis and lupus), as well as diabetes, strokes and thyroid problems. ![]() It’s similar to what happens in our skin. Over time, glands in our eyes produce fewer tears. “Somebody who is 50 has a 50-50 chance, somebody who is 70 has 70 percent chance. “Your likelihood of having dry eye is equal in percentage to your age in years,” says John Hovanesian, M.D., clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, an ophthalmologist at Harvard Eye Associates, and a faculty member at the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute. “It could be that the lacrimal gland isn’t making enough of the liquid part of the tears, or it could be there’s not a sufficient oil layer to keep tears from evaporating on the surface of the eye - a more common condition known as evaporative dry eye,” says Sarah Dougherty Wood, an optometrist and assistant professor at the Kellogg Eye Center at the University of Michigan. If any of these layers isn’t functioning properly - and your eyes aren’t getting adequate lubrication - dry eye can occur.
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