What is the most common type of dry eye? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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If you have dry eye it’s important to know what type it is, since that will determine best possible management strategies. That’s according to Lauren Gormley, an optometrist at Johns Hopkins.

Gormley: The more type of dry eye is evaporative dry eye which comes from the eyelids. There are little oil glands in your eyelids that have openings right behind the eyelashes and when you blink it's that little mechanical pressure of the eyelids touching itself that pulls the oils out of the glands. That layer of oil goes on top of the water layer of the tear film and that keeps the tears together, so it protects the water layer. So if the oil layer of the tear film isn't healthy or if the eyelids aren't healthy the water layer of the tear film will evaporate too quickly.     :34

Gormley says the good news is there are a number of treatments to help with evaporative dry eye, so chances are you’ll be able to work with your provider to determine the best one for you. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.