Every time we blink, new tears are formed in several glands located around each eye. These help to bathe and lubricate the eyes, forming a 'tear film' across them. Dry, tired feeling eyes can occur when there is an imbalance in the quantity or quality of tears.

Anyone can experience dry eyes, but women are most often affected, especially after the menopause.

Some medication (e.g. diuretics, beta-blockers, antihistamines, sleeping pills and painkillers) can cause dry eye. Other causes include central heating, air conditioning, wearing contact lenses and spending a lot of time looking at a computer screen.

What are the symptoms?

Apart from feeling dry, symptoms of dry eye include the sensation of a foreign body in the eye, burning, grittiness, itching, light sensitivity, frequent blinking, redness and excess tearing.

This last symptom may sound strange, but if the glands responsible for normal eye lubrication do not keep them wet enough, the eyes become irritated. This provokes the tear glands to produce a large volume of tears, overwhelming the eyes.

What can help customers?

Relieving the symptoms of dry, tired eyes involves the use of replacement artificial tears €“ for example, using drops or a mist. These lubricate the eyes and help to maintain moisture levels. The choice of product depends on the severity of the condition:

Lightly lubricating formulations can help with mild feelings of eye dryness. Examples: Systane Ultra Lubricant Eye Drops, Refresh Opthalmic Solution

Eye drops containing hyaluronic acid give prolonged relief for dry, tired and irritated eyes. Examples: Biotrue Rewetting Drops, Optrex Dry Eye Drops

Hypromellose is another ingredient commonly used in treatments for eye dryness. Examples: Brolene Cool Eyes, Optrex Actimist Eye Spray

Gels cling to the eye surface and can help customers with more persistent symptoms. Example: Systane Gel Drops Lubricant Eye Gel

Eye ointments containing white soft paraffin or liquid paraffin are appropriate for severe cases.