Dry eye is a condition where there is a deficiency of tears. The main symptom is usually a scratchy or sandy feeling as if something is in the eye.

Other symptoms may include stinging or burning of the eye; episodes of excess tearing that follow periods of very dry sensation; a stringy discharge from the eye; and pain and redness of the eye. Sometimes people with dry eye experience heaviness of the eyelids or blurred, changing, or decreased vision, although loss of vision is uncommon.