Fortunately there are steps you can take to relieve or reduce dry eyes.
You don't produce tears just when you get sad news - in fact, you need to make tears all the time to keep the delicate surface of your eyeball from drying out. Your tears are made up of much more than salty water. They also have an outer oily coating which stops your tears evaporating too quickly, as well as a thin inner layer of mucus, which helps the tears spread evenly over the whole surface.
When you blink, you spread tears across the front of your eyeball. This layer of fluid drains away without you noticing through a channel connecting it with your nose. If you don't produce enough tears, your eyes will feel dry, and tears which evaporate too fast or don't spread smoothly over your eyeball can cause the same problem.
As well as feeling dry, lack of tears can lead to burning, stinging and itching. It can also cause temporary blurring of your eyesight, make your eyes red, gritty and sensitive to light. However, it's important to note that dry eyes should not lead to severe pain or sudden complete or partial loss of vision. Your eyes may be slightly pink but the whites shouldn't turn bright red. If any of these things happen, go straight to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital.
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