While dry eyes are something that many of us encounter due to seasonal allergies or too much time spent staring at a computer screen, chronic dry eye disease (or keratoconjunctivitis sicca) can impact daily life and comfort considerably. Chronic dry eyes occur when the eyes don’t produce enough real tears for adequate lubrication.

While this condition can’t be cured, it can be treated effectively with the help of doctor prescribed eye drops, over the counter remedies, and healthy home remedies:

1. Use a humidifier
One of the major causes of dry and red eyes is a lack of moisture either in the air or from the natural production of your tear ducts. Using a humidifier in your home or apartment will help add more moisture in the air around you, and will help to keep your eyes from drying out as often.
This is especially important as you sleep, so keeping a humidifier in your bedroom is a great way to naturally hydrate the eyes. If you are using a humidifier on a carpeted surface, lay towels down around the humidifier. Otherwise, excess moisture will saturate the carpet and bacteria may grow in between the carpet fibers.

2. Warm eye compresses
If you have dry eyes, warm eye compresses are an effective way to treat them. An underlying cause of having dry eyes is the tear ducts, which may not produce enough tears and oils, leading to dry eyes. Using a warm compress helps to alleviate this by using heat to trigger the tear ducts to produce more tears. It can also help relieve a potentially blocked tear duct. This is a great approach if you don’t suffer from dry eyes all the time, as it could be seasonally or caused by certain medications that you are on. For instance, antihistamines have been known to cause a lack of tear production.

3. Natural tears eye drops
This is a great option, and one of the most common over the counter options for dry eyes that you can find at any drug store. However, this is one of those times that a product will only treat the symptoms, and not the cause. It will help in alleviating dry and red eyes, but you may have to use it several times throughout the day. There are multiple types of eye drops available, and depending on your symptoms, including redness, itching, or dryness, there is one that can suit your needs. Natural tears drops are easy to use and don’t contain any harsh chemicals that may harm your eyes or cause any harmful side effects. They are made from a saline solution that is similar to the natural tears produced by the eyes. Another great OTC solution is Systane eye drops and gels, which works similarly to treat chronic dry eyes.

4. Omega-3 supplements
In clinical research and studies, researchers have found that those who suffer from chronic dry eyes and consume or take omega-3 supplements have found significant relief. One of the benefits of taking an omega-3 supplement is that there are no side effects, and they are good for your overall health in general. These supplements are beneficial to dry eye sufferers because they help our eyes to produce an oily film that coats and keeps them protected from drying out. You can also incorporate food sources of omega-3s in fatty fish, nuts, and plant based oils.

5. Castor oil eye drops
Like other eye drops, castor oil drops will help to reduce eye redness and dryness. Unlike traditional eye drops, however, they contain an oil base that can be especially beneficial in treating dry eyes because it can help to prevent your eyes from drying out after applying the eye drops. This treatment also helps to keep the moisture on the surface of your eyes from evaporating. These are easy to apply and can be administered in the same way as traditional eye drops. The only main difference is that they contain both water and oil, which can separate between uses. Because of this, you will want to make sure that you are shaking the liquid before each use.

6. Prescription medications for dry eyes
If none of the above mentioned methods work to relieve dry eyes, it may be time to consult your doctor about the underlying issue. A doctor may prescribe some medication to help treat both the symptoms and the cause. For your reference, some common medications often prescribed for chronic dry eye disease treatment and redness may include Xiidra or Restasis.