London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Jul 31, 2025

Why It's Important to Treat Dry Eyes

Why It's Important to Treat Dry Eyes

Untreated dry eyes can damage your cornea. In severe cases, this damage can lead to permanent vision loss and even blindness.

If you’re like many people, you may not take dry eyes seriously-but that could be a big mistake. Left untreated, dry eye syndrome can cause discomfort and bouts of blurry vision. It can interfere with your activities-for example, making it hard to use a computer for long periods or travel comfortably in the dry cabin of a plane.

What you might not know is that untreated dry eyes can also damage your cornea, the clear, dome-shaped outer layer covering the front of the eye. In severe cases, this damage can lead to permanent vision loss and even blindness. Fortunately, such problems usually can be averted by getting treatment for dry eyes.


The Importance of Tears

Unlike other parts of your body, the cornea doesn’t contain any blood vessels. Rather than getting oxygen and nutrients from blood, it receives them from tears. These tears also cleanse your eyes and wash away dust and germs. The healthy tear film is essential to the optics of crisp vision. Dry eyes are blurry eyes.

When you have dry eye syndrome, the quantity or quality of tears is insufficient, so the health of your cornea may suffer. In some cases, the cornea also becomes inflamed. If left untreated, this inflammation may lead to painful open sores and scarring of the cornea. If corneal sores (ulcers) aren’t treated, vision loss can be permanent.

A film of tears over the cornea also helps keep it clear and smooth. This is crucial for good vision, because it’s the point where light is first focused as it enters the eye. When the tear film is inadequate, vision isn’t as sharp as it otherwise would be.


Two Important Cornea Conditions


These two cornea conditions may result (or worsen) due to ignoring eye dryness:


Corneal ulcer


This is an open sore on the cornea. It can result from eye inflammation or an eye infection—and the risk of infection is increased in people with insufficient tear production. Possible symptoms include:

-Eye redness

-Severe eye pain or soreness

-Gritty feeling in the eye

-Excessive watering

-Pus or other discharge

-Blurry vision

-Sensitivity to light

-Swollen eyelids

-White spot on the cornea

If you develop such symptoms, call your ophthalmologist right away. Without prompt treatment, a corneal ulcer may lead to scarring and severe vision loss that can be chronic. Antibiotic, antifungal, or antiviral eye drops may be prescribed for an infection depending on the causative organism. Steroid or anti-inflammatory eye drops help prevent scarring, and oral pain medicine helps relieve pain.
Corneal abrasion
This is an injury to the outermost layer of cells on the corneal surface. Dry eyes make these exposed cells highly vulnerable to trauma (epithelial defects). Among other things, it can result from vigorous rubbing of your eyes. It can also be caused by a foreign object in the eye, and a lack of tears means you’re missing the eye’s natural defense for washing away dust and debris. Possible symptoms include:

Eye pain, which may worsen when you open or close your eye

Gritty feeling in the eye

Excessive watering

Eye redness

Sensitivity to light

Blurry vision

Headache

Contact your eye doctor if you think you may have a corneal abrasion. Depending on the situation, steroid eye drops, antibiotic eye drops or ointment, or a pain reliever may be prescribed. Your eye might also be patched to make you more comfortable while the abrasion heals.

Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc.
The content on Healthgrades does not provide medical advice. Always consult a medical provider for diagnosis and treatment. All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or reprinted without permission from Healthgrades Operating Company, Inc. Use of this information is governed by the Healthgrades User Agreement.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Former Judge Charged After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Comedian in Brazil
Jeff Bezos hasn’t paid a dollar in taxes for decades. He makes billions and pays $0 in taxes, LEGALLY
China Increases Use of Exit Bans Amid Rising U.S. Tensions
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Procter & Gamble to Raise U.S. Prices to Offset One‑Billion‑Dollar Tariff Cost
House Republicans Move to Defund OECD Over Global Tax Dispute
Botswana Seeks Controlling Stake in De Beers as Anglo American Prepares Exit
Trump Administration Proposes Repeal of Obama‑Era Endangerment Finding, Dismantling Regulatory Basis for CO₂ Emissions Limits
France Opens Criminal Investigation into X Over Algorithm Manipulation Allegations
A family has been arrested in the UK for displaying the British flag
Mel Gibson refuses to work with Robert De Niro, saying, "Keep that woke clown away from me."
Trump Steamrolls EU in Landmark Trade Win: US–EU Trade Deal Imposes 15% Tariff on European Imports
ChatGPT CEO Sam Altman says people share personal info with ChatGPT but don’t know chats can be used as court evidence in legal cases.
The British propaganda channel BBC News lies again.
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
×