Tears provide natural lubrication for your eyes. When you do not produce sufficient lubrication or your tears are not enough, you tend to suffer from dry eyes. There may be many reasons for the same. One of the reasons may be that you do not produce sufficient tears. Another could be that the quality of the tears is low. The diagnosis and treatment of dry eyes are essential for you to feel better.

1. Diagnosis

• Eye examination by an ophthalmologist
  Your eye specialist will have your medical history on record and, therefore, can help in the diagnosis and treatment of dry eyes.
• Measuring the volume of tears
  Schirmer’s test is a reliable test that measures the production of tears. Blotting paper is placed on the lower lid and measured after five minutes. On the other hand, a phenol red thread test is where a thread that is filled with pH-sensitive dye is placed on the lower lid.
• Tests to check the quality of tears
  Certain dyes are used in eye drops that will help doctors understand the surface condition. The staining pattern in the cornea is observed along with evaporation time to understand the quality of the tears. This helps in the diagnosis and treatment of dry eyes.
• Osmolarity tests for the tears
  The composition of particles and water in your tears make a huge difference to the quality of your tears. The osmolarity test will help determine whether you have less water in tears.
• Study for markers
  Sometimes, closely observing the composition of the tears will clue the doctors in about dry eye diseases.

2. Treatment
Mild symptoms or an occasional case of dry eyes can be easily and effectively treated with over-the-counter eye drops. These are popularly called artificial tears. When these symptoms persist:

• Your ophthalmologist may recommend a dose of antibiotics to reduce inflammation. This is an important step in the diagnosis and treatment of dry eyes.
• The doctor may suggest that you take prescription eye drops to reduce inflammation of the cornea. These eye drops are immune-suppressants that contain cyclosporine or corticosteroids.
• Depending on the symptoms, doctors may prescribe eye inserts. Generally, these are recommended for those with moderate to severe symptoms of dry eyes. The hydroxypropyl cellulose insert sits between your lower lid and eyeball. It dissolves, gradually releasing lubrication that works like your tears.
• Sometimes, doctors may prescribe a cholinergic, which works to increase the production of tears. These are available as eye drops, gels, or pills.
• When none of the above treatments work, doctors may prescribe autologous blood serum drops. These are generally prescribed in severe dry eye cases.

The diagnosis and treatment of dry eyes are fairly simple. However, you must visit a doctor at the earliest to prevent complications.