Most common ocular complaint, especially amongst pts admitted to the hospital
Due to insufficient tear production and/or imbalance of components that make up tear film
Etiology is vast and can include aging, eye strain/overuse, contact lens use, systemic and topical medications, post eye surgery, nutritional deficiencies, autoimmune disease, or concomitant with other ocular conditions
Presentation
Blurry vision bilaterally that comes and goes (very common–if the pt complains of fluctuating blurriness, dry eye should be at the top of your differential)
Excessive tearing or watery eyes
Stinging, burning, soreness, discomfort, gritty, or foreign body sensation
Discomfort with eye movements
Trace/mild conjunctival injection
Evaluation and Management
Schedule preservative-free (PF) artificial tears at least 4x/day and lubricating eye ointment at bedtime to see if the pt's symptoms improve.
Polyvinyl alcohol-povidone PF (Refresh Classic)
Lubricating ophthalmic ointment (Lubrifresh)
Do not order PRN. Pts will not ask.
If a pt's symptoms fail to improve or worsen on artificial tears, consider paging ophthalmology for additional assistance. If there is no apparent imminent threat to vision, you can place an ophthalmology outpt referral upon discharge
