Dry eyes have a cause. Let’s find yours.

Symvana is an independent guide to dry, tired and screen-strained eyes. Take a three-minute quiz to see what’s most likely behind your symptoms and which drops, masks and treatments the research actually supports.

Take the Dry Eye Profile Test my blink rate

Free, no sign-up, and your answers stay on your device.

**Fig. 1** A simulated slit-lamp view of a tear film stained with fluorescein, a dye eye doctors look at under a cobalt blue light. Black spots show where the film breaks up. Healthy films hold for 10 seconds or more. This one starts to break up sooner. Tap or click the eye to blink.

16.4 million

US adults have been diagnosed with dry eye. It’s about twice as common in women, and it rises with age.

Farrand et al., 2017, from 2013 survey data

86%

of dry eye cases with a clear type involved struggling oil glands, in one clinic study.

Lemp et al., 2012

4.5

blinks a minute while reading, down from about 17 at rest. On screens, more of those blinks don’t fully close.

Bentivoglio et al., 1997 and Argilés et al., 2015

Your tear film has three layers. Most drops only help one.

Dry eye isn’t one problem. It’s a failure in one or more layers of a film far thinner than a hair. Knowing which layer is struggling is the difference between relief and another half-used bottle in the drawer.

Fig. 2 The tear film in cross-section, simplified and not to scale. The water layer is many times thicker than the oil above it, and in a real eye the water and mucin blend into one gel-like layer.

The oil layer

A film of oils, thinner than a soap bubble, that slows evaporation. When it runs thin, the tear film breaks up within seconds of each blink. This is the most common reason for dry eye.

Made by: Meibomian glands, dozens of tiny glands lining the edge of each eyelid.
When it fails: Burning, gritty eyes that get worse on screens and through the day, vision that blurs and clears when you blink, and oddly watery eyes.
What helps: Warm compresses, lid hygiene, oil-based drops and, in a clinic, IPL or thermal pulsation.

How to do a warm compress that works

The water layer

The bulk of the tear film. It keeps the surface of the eye wet, washes away debris and carries proteins that fight infection. When your glands don’t make enough, the whole film thins.

Made by: The lacrimal gland above the outer corner of each eye, plus smaller glands in the eyelids.
When it fails: Constant dryness, often with a dry mouth. More common with age, some medications and autoimmune conditions such as Sjögren’s.
What helps: Preservative-free drops, more humid air, prescription drops that boost tear production and punctal plugs.

Which drops suit a low tear supply

The mucin layer

A slippery, gel-like layer that lets the watery tears cling to the eye instead of beading up and running off. Without it, tears can’t spread evenly and patches of the surface dry out.

Made by: Goblet cells in the conjunctiva, and the surface cells of the cornea itself.
When it fails: Patchy dryness and irritation, often after surface damage, years of preserved drops or heavy contact lens wear.
What helps: Healing the surface, switching to preservative-free drops and a proper exam by an eye doctor.

Dry eye, explained properly

Three minutes to your dry eye type.

Fifteen questions about your symptoms, habits, health and surroundings. The Dry Eye Profile weighs them against the risk factors in published research, then shows which layer is likely struggling and what to try first.

Your likely type: oil layer, water layer or a mix of both
A symptom score you can retake and track over time
Flags for eyelid mites, allergy, medications and nighttime dryness
A plan that runs from free habits to clinic treatments

Start the profile Private. Nothing leaves your browser unless you ask us to email your plan.

Example result

Oil layer, leaning evaporative

48symptom load

Oil layer78

Water layer34

Eyelids52

Screens70

Your first three moves

Ten minutes with a heated mask each evening
Switch to an oil-based, preservative-free drop
Clean your lash line daily for four weeks

Free tools for tired eyes.

Everything runs in your browser. Nothing to install, and your camera feed never leaves your device.

How often do you really blink?

Read a short passage while your webcam counts your full and half blinks. Takes 60 seconds, and shows how your rate compares with resting and reading averages.

Average blinks per minute in 150 healthy volunteers, from Bentivoglio et al., 1997.

Take the Blink Test

Eye Break Timer

20-20-20 reminders that keep firing when the tab is in the background, with a guided 20-second break.

Start a timer

Drop Decoder

Paste the ingredients from any eye drop box. See what each one does, which preservatives to watch and whether it suits your type.

Decode a label

Why screens tire your eyes, and what helps

What actually works, graded.

Every remedy gets an evidence grade, with a link to the research behind it wherever there is some. Some popular ones don’t make the cut.

Dry eye remedies graded by strength of evidence
Remedy	Where	Evidence	Cost
Preservative-free artificial tearsThe sensible first step for almost everyone. Pick preservative-free if you use drops more than four times a day, and match the formula to your type.Pucker et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2016 (opens in a new tab)	Over the counter	Good	$About $10 to $25 a month
Warm compress with a heat-holding maskSoftens thickened oil in the eyelid glands. The target is about 40°C (104°F) on the eyelids for around ten minutes. A microwavable mask holds that heat. A washcloth cools within minutes.Lee, Ophthalmology and Therapy, 2024 (opens in a new tab)	At home	Good	$One-off $15 to $35
Blink exercisesA small trial found a ten-second blink exercise, done every 20 minutes for a month, improved symptoms and tear film stability. Promising, free and takes seconds.Kim et al., Contact Lens & Anterior Eye, 2021 (opens in a new tab)	At home	Mixed	Free
Omega-3 fish oil supplementsA large, year-long trial gave people 3,000 mg a day. They did no better than people taking olive oil.DREAM Study Research Group, New England Journal of Medicine, 2018 (opens in a new tab)	Over the counter	Mixed	$$About $15 to $45 a month
Blue light glasses for eye strainA 2023 Cochrane review found they may make no difference to eye strain from screens. Spend the money elsewhere.Singh et al., Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2023 (opens in a new tab)	Over the counter	Weak	$$About $20 to $100
Lotilaner (Xdemvy) for DemodexTwo phase 3 trials. In one, 56% of patients had their lash debris fully cleared after six weeks, against 12.5% on placebo.Saturn-2 phase 3 trial, Ophthalmology, 2023 (opens in a new tab)	Prescription	Strong	$$$Varies with insurance
Intense pulsed light (IPL)Light pulses on the skin below the eyes. A 2025 review of 13 trials found it probably eases symptoms, though how much it adds to standard care is less clear.Peira et al., Acta Ophthalmologica, 2025 (opens in a new tab)	In a clinic	Good	$$$$Often a few hundred dollars a session, usually three or four sessions

Strong evidenceGood evidenceMixed evidenceWeak evidence

See all 20 remedies

The research radar.

New approvals, rejections and studies, translated into what they mean for your eyes. Updated as the science moves.

March 2026Dry eye

Reproxalap turned down for a third time

Rejected by FDA

The FDA again declined to approve Aldeyra’s reproxalap drop for dry eye, pointing to study results that didn’t line up with each other.

Update, September 2026: Aldeyra says it will formally appeal the decision, and expects to file the appeal and meet with the FDA in the last three months of 2026. Reproxalap is still not approved. Source: Aldeyra Therapeutics press release, September 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Source: Fierce Biotech, March 2026

June 2025Dry eye

Dry eye gets an updated definition

Expert consensus

The Tear Film & Ocular Surface Society published TFOS DEWS III, its third global report on dry eye. It defines dry eye as a disease that always comes with symptoms, and recommends diagnosing it with a short symptom questionnaire plus one measurable sign, such as a tear film that breaks up in under 10 seconds.

Source: TFOS DEWS III, American Journal of Ophthalmology, 2025

May 2025Dry eye

A dry eye drop that helps your eyes make their own tears

FDA approved

Alcon’s Tryptyr (acoltremon) became the first approved dry eye drop to target TRPM8, the nerve receptor that senses cooling and helps trigger tearing.

Source: US FDA, Drugs@FDA

Everything on the radar

The rules we work by.

Evidence: Every research finding we report links to its source, and every remedy carries a grade from Strong to Weak. When the research changes, the grade changes with it.
Privacy: The profile, blink test and timer run in your browser. We never see your camera, and your answers aren’t sent anywhere unless you ask us to email your plan.
Money: We earn from affiliate links, featured clinic listings and newsletter sponsors. None of them can change a grade. How we make money.

When drops aren’t enough, the fix is usually in a clinic.

Blocked oil glands, eyelid mites and long-running inflammation often need more than a pharmacy shelf can offer. A dry eye specialist can measure what’s going on and treat the cause.

Find a dry eye specialist Compare treatments

Intense pulsed lightOil glands, rosacea
Thermal pulsationBlocked glands
Lotilaner dropsEyelid mites
Anti-inflammatory dropsChronic inflammation
Punctal plugsLow tear volume