What is the best way to treat dry eyes?
The treatment of dry eyes depends on what type of dry eyes you have, and that's a diagnosis that really needs to be made by an eye doctor. In general terms, the main treatment is just lubricants. You can buy these at the drugstore; they're called ocular lubricants. They're little eye drops you put in your eye, and it soothes the eyes and makes them feel more comfortable. Some nutritional supplementation can help. Things like flaxseed oil or omega-3 fatty acids seem to help some people, although the scientific evidence for their usefulness is very weak. The other thing you can do to avoid or treat dry eyes is environmental management, which means keeping yourself away from very arid or dry environments. For example, get a humidifier for your work or home to make the eye environment moister. Try not to sit near an air conditioning duct outlet at work, because air-conditioned air tends to be very dry. Also, try not to take vacations in deserts; go to tropical places instead. These are the kind of things you can do to manage dry eyes on your own.