Weinstock, what is the importance of the quantity and quality of tears produced?
A. When light enters the eye, the very first thing it hits is the cornea, or window into the eye. Normally, the cornea is coated with tears. However, if healthy tears are not coating the cornea, it dries out and no longer has a nice, smooth surface for you to look through, so no matter how good your eyes are, your lens implant is, or your LASIK surgery was, your vision can’t be good if the cornea does not have a healthy, smooth layer of tears over it. Q. What do you mean by a healthy layer of tears? A. Tears are made up of three components: a water layer, an oil layer, and a mucus layer. Those three layers have to be in the right concentrations in order for the tear film to cover the eye properly. Q. What is the most common cause of dry eye syndrome? A. Tears are produced by glands up under the eyebrow towards the outer portion of the eye. As part of the natural aging process, these tear glands begin to produce fewer tears. Therefore, it is very common for older people, as the hormones
