Dry eye... but why?

What exactly is dry eye? It's more than just the symptoms that you feel. It's an underlying condition that can be caused by different things.

A woman looking up and rubbing her right eye

What’s causing your dry eye symptoms?

Do your dry eyes still feel gritty, rough, or tired no matter what you do? Do you experience vision that changes throughout the day?

There are 2 types of dry eye:

Too much tear evaporation

which contributes to dry eye in about 9 out of 10 people.

Not making enough tears

which is a less common type of dry eye.

Sometimes, you can have a combination of both types of dry eye.

What does dry eye feel like?

Dry eye caused by too much tear evaporation may make your eyes feel one or more of the following:

Purple sleep mask representing tired eyes
Tired
A small potted cactus representing scratchy eyes
Scratchy
Image of a man rubbing at his closed right eye representing gritty feeling eyes
Gritty
A yellow wasp representing stinging caused by tear evaporation
Stinging
Image of a woman in pain and rubbing at her left eye
Painful
A purple dumbbell representing heavy feeling eyes
Heavy
Sunglasses with purple frames and purple lenses representing sensitivity to light
Sensitive to light
Woman suffering from burning sensation in eyes rubbing at her left eye
Burning
Man in purple shirt rubbing at his right eye
Rough
Woman with long curly hair rubbing at her itchy right eye
Itchy
Glass of water half full to represent watery feeling eyes causes by tear evaporation
Watery
A purple electric fan facing to the right to represent irritated eyes
Irritated

With too much tear evaporation, it's common to experience:

  • White icon of a closed eyeNeeding to blink to clear your vision
  • White icon of an eye with a question mark next to itVision that fluctuates
  • White icon of a clockSymptoms that get worse throughout the day

Why do my dry eyes feel watery?

Adding eye drops to eyes that are already watery may seem strange. But that watery feeling is a common symptom of dry eye. It can be a sign that your tears are evaporating too quickly.

Take a closer look

Blue icon with white arrow pointing up and to the right

Why do tears evaporate?

See what causes too much tear evaporation.

INDICATION

MIEBO® (perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution) is used to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

  • Remove contact lenses before using MIEBO and wait for at least 30 minutes before reinserting
  • It is important to use MIEBO exactly as prescribed
  • It is not known if MIEBO is safe and effective in children under the age of 18
  • The most common eye side effect seen in studies was blurred vision (1% to 3% of patients reported blurred vision and eye redness)

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Click here for full Prescribing Information for MIEBO.

Expand Expand

INDICATION

MIEBO® (perfluorohexyloctane ophthalmic solution) is used to treat the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

  • Remove contact lenses before using MIEBO and wait for at least 30 minutes before reinserting
  • It is important to use MIEBO exactly as prescribed
  • It is not known if MIEBO is safe and effective in children under the age of 18
  • The most common eye side effect seen in studies was blurred vision (1% to 3% of patients reported blurred vision and eye redness)

You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.

Click here for full Prescribing Information for MIEBO.

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