Skip to main content
Dry Eye

When Do Your Dry Eyes Require Medical Treatment?

Persistent dry eye is a good reason to schedule an eye exam.

Lauren Smith, MAMandy Armitage, MD
Written by Lauren Smith, MA | Reviewed by Mandy Armitage, MD
Updated on August 6, 2025
Featuring Danielle Trief, MDReviewed by Mandy Armitage, MD | August 6, 2025

Everyone might experience dry, irritated eyes at some point. It can happen on a windy day, when the air is dry, or if you’re near an aggressive radiator. If dry, blurry, uncomfortable eye symptoms are happening a lot, you may have dry eye disease.

“In general, I think that if the dry eye is interfering with things that you do day to day, then you should seek medical care,” says Danielle Trief, MD, Ophthalmologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.

References

GoodRx Health has strict sourcing policies and relies on primary sources such as medical organizations, governmental agencies, academic institutions, and peer-reviewed scientific journals. Learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate, thorough, and unbiased by reading our editorial guidelines.

why trust our exports reliability shield

Why trust our experts?

Lauren Smith, MA
Written by:
Lauren Smith, MA
Lauren Smith, MA, has worked in health journalism since 2017. Before joining GoodRx, she was the senior health editor and writer for HealthiNation.
Mandy Armitage, MD
Reviewed by:
Mandy Armitage, MD
Mandy Armitage, MD, has combined clinical medicine with her passion for education and content development for many years. She served as medical director for the health technology companies HealthLoop (now Get Well) and Doximity.

Was this page helpful?

Latest articles