Extremely Dry Eyes

I've had extremely dry eyes a few months after i started wearing contacts.  I wake up in the morning and it feels like my eyes do not produce tears all through the night.  THis makes it really red in the morning and throughout the day. Is there anything i can do about it? I'm starting to experience eye pain now as well. Are there any kind of drops I can use?

[Joan M Pernoud, MD]

Start by taking your contacts out until your eyes feel OK.

Use preservative free artificial tears every hour or two.
Get an ultrasonic mister to increase the humidity in your home.
Stay away from ceiling fans and moving air which evaporates your tears.
Keep furnace setting cool to increase humidity in air.
If you take any medicines, check that they don't make dry eyes worse.

Some cannot wear contacts as it's just too much for a dry eye.

If these don't help, see a local eye MD ophthalmologist for more help (aao.org).
Punctal plugs, Restasis or another type of contact lens are possibilities.