Can I be tested for dry eye syndrome?
If you are experiencing dry eyes, let your optometrist know. They can perform a simple and painless test to assess whether you have the symptoms of dry eye syndrome.
In this test, the optometrist applies a small quantity of eye drops to your eyes, containing a yellow-orange dye that helps them to see your tears more clearly and to assess how long it takes for your eye to start drying out.
Once the drops are in your eye you will be asked to blink a few times and then to keep your eyes open without blinking.
Your optometrist then uses a special light to look at your eyes and the dye shows up any dry patches that start to appear. If the patches begin to appear in less than ten seconds, this usually means you have dry eye syndrome.