Dry eye is a common syndrome (collection of symptoms) in the population, almost every third person is affected in Hungary at some point in their life. The disease has an impact on everyday life, it can cause problems at work (monitor use), when reading, driving, and it can also negatively affect our mental state.
Its causes are many,   the main factors are screen use, as the number of blinks decreases in this case, regular medications, environmental effects (air conditioning, tobacco smoke, smog), eye drops, contact lens wear,  hormonal effects (pregnancy, changing age), medical conditions (autoimmune diseases, diabetes, allergies) and also occurs more often with age.
The consequence of these factors is insufficient tear film production or tear film damage due to increased tear loss and evaporation. The main function of the tear film is to protect the surface of the eye (e.g. from infections, even small dust particles can escape with increased tearing), moistening, supplying the eye surface with nutrients and oxygen. The symptoms due to the lack of tears can typically be a burning, stinging, itching, foreign body sensation, tired eyes, blurred vision, and sometimes increased tearing. In the long term, dry conjunctiva and cornea can lead to chronic complaints and inflammation, and this is when we call it dry eye syndrome.
The cornerstones of diagnosis are the symptoms the patient reports, slit-lamp examination (eyelid, ocular surface), measurement of tear production (Schirmer test), tear film break-up test (BUT), and staining of the ocular surface
Lifestyle counseling and the selection of appropriate eye drops/gel/ointment are very important. The basic ingredients of artificial tears are water and some kind of viscosity-increasing active ingredient, in addition to these they may also contain electrolytes, nutrients and vitamins, and there is also a preservative-free, single-dose package.
In advanced cases, consideration should be given to regular eyelid hygiene, the application of devices to prevent tear drainage, and in case of inflammation, the use of anti-inflammatory and/or antibiotic eye drops and ointments.