Don't mean to hijack the thread but would like to share what I know about dry eyes.

I used to work at an Ophthalmology center and we treated dry eye all the time. It is pretty common for people who have had refractive surgery (LASIK/PRK) and postnatal women. To remedy dry eyes obviously first comes preservative-free artificial tear drops. The brand that I like to recommend is called Optase[1]. Their products are much higher quality than Refresh or Systane. Made in the EU. Lubricating ointment at night is also great, Optase also has an ointment as well.

Next you can go to an ophthalmologist and have them place punctal plugs in your tear ducts to retain more moisture. Super easy, done right in the exam chair on the slit lamp, takes 5 seconds, no pain. Just don't be anxious about the Dr coming near your eye. They dissolve in a few months and then you need to repeat if you find that it works. Tell them to use the longest lasting ones they have, but don't get non-dissolvable. Practices obviously make money the sooner you come back so they will probably try shorter span if you don't mention anything. There are also permanent ones but Drs have told me they can lead to issues so I don't want to recommend this. However it is available if you so desire.

Lowering monitor brightness personally helps me. I try to stay under 40%. Taking breaks is the best habit to build and someone mentioned the 20/20/20 break: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 ft away for 20 seconds.

If your case is severe, talk to an Ophthalmologist to get a prescription for Restasis or Cequa, generic is Cyclosporine. They are drops designed to increase your natural tears over the course of 4-6 months of use, twice a day. Really annoying and stinging drops but this is an option. Can be expensive, try to find the generic. This company ImprimisRx[2] sells it for $60/bottle and whatever the ophthalmologist will charge you over that if they are greedy. It's the Klarity-C drop.

Other things you can research are Amniotic Membranes and a multitude of Eyelid heating treatments. These are more expensive and results are not so permanent. You can buy heat masks as well for home use, I'd recommend that instead. Optase also sells this but I'm sure there are others.

Someone mentioned an oral hyluronic supplement but I haven't heard of this, I'm going to ask an ophthalmologist and see what they say.

While I'm here if I can help anyone here from some macular degeneration in your later years I'd like to. If you're over 50 years of age I would recommend spending on eye vitamins[3], even once every few months is better than nothing. Don't mean to peddle fear but this pathology is _not_ fun if you get it. Visit an ophthalmologist for a retina exam once a year after 60 years of age. Every 4-6 months after 70. After you get cataracts done around the same age and have wonderful sight, this can ruin everything. If you plan to use a computer past the age of 80 this is a good precautionary step to take. General retinal advice for anyone: if you see a ton of flashing lights like fireworks to go a retina specialist ASAP.

Also if you are african american please go to an ophthalmologist or optometrist who has a Visual Field test for glaucoma once a year. You probably already know but your genetics are predisposed for this terrible pathology. You must go every year for this test no matter your age! General glaucoma advice for all 50 and older folks: Get a visual field test done every year. If you see a black veil or curtain start to form over your vision from the sides or anywhere go to a glaucoma ophthalmologist immediately.

[1] https://optase.com , can be purchased from Amazon, Walmart, and they say Walgreens pharmacy carries it as well.

[2] https://www.imprimisrx.com/totaltears/

[3] PreserVision AREDS 2