Dry eye

When the normal arrangement of the tear film is disrupted following a decrease in the production of one or more of its elements, and it is accompanied by ocular signs and symptoms, then the condition is referred to as 'dry eye'.1 The term dry eye is not specific to one condition, and is often used to describe a group of tear film conditions that result from either decreased tear production or excessive tear loss from evaporation. The term keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS) is widely used in the literature to describe dry eye. Millodot2 defines KCS as keratitis due to an absence or deficiency of the lacrimal secretion and associated with conjunctivitis. Figure 1 shows the extent of epithelial damage in KCS.