Q: I am a 38 years old female. I have had very normal eyes till about a year ago and successfully wore contact lenses for 10 years. A few months ago I got sudden irritation (pollution/allergy/ I am not sure) and almost overnight I developed dry eyes. There was extreme burning and no production of tears. The doctor gave me Tobramycin and some anti-allergy drops but nothing helped. Now I have some tear production from the eyes, but I still cannot wear lenses and my eyes remain dry, whether I sit in front of the computer or not. My thyriod levels are normal. But the doctor says that this problem is of a hormonal origin. Are there any blood tests required? I suspect something like Siogren's (teeth cavities) or allergy or infection. Are there any eye drops that can help me? I want to start wearing contact lenses again. Please help.

A:Depending on the type of contact lenses you are wearing and various solutions that you have to use, you could be allergic to anything including contact lens material. There are lots of artificial tear drops that you can use which will give you temporary relief and some of them you may use with the contact lenses in the eye. These will be best advised by your local eye or contact lens specialist. The cause may be hormonal including any contraceptive pill that you may be using and also environmental. In Sjogren's syndrome you get dry mouth, dry eyes as well as arthritis. Accordingly, you may feel symptoms variable depending on time of day or year.