Definition:
Xerophthalmia, a Greek term used to refer to Dry Eyes, is a condition whereby there is an unusal failure of the eye to produce tears.
Diagnosis:
The medical condition of Xerophthalmia is confirm through the use of the Schirmer test (Kunimoto DY, Kanitkar KD, Makar MS; The Wills Eye Manual (4th Ed.) 2004, Lippincott, Williams and Wilkins).
Symptoms and Signs:
Symptoms includes extreme dryness of the conjuctival epithelium and poor lid closure and chronoc conjunctivitis.
Causes:
Xerophthalmia may be due to hyposecretive causes such as the idiopathy, it may also be age-related, hormonal or due to the use of oral contraceptives, antihistamines, vitamin A deficiency, neurological lesions and absence of lacrimal glands or ductules or it may be a caused by deficiency of oil component of tear filmand defective corneal resurfacing.
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