If a 23 year old has dry eye should she automatically assume she has an autoimmune disease

[nygirlsrdifferent]

my ana test was weakly positive at 1:160. I feel great otherwise. My tear ducts are blocked. Y???

[Barb M]

Tear ducts can get blocked at any time. Perhaps from an external issue (makeup, especially eye makeup). The only thing she should assume from dry eyes is that she has dry eyes. Use some Natural Tears.

[emschick638]

No, you cannot assume that it is an autoimmune disorder. It sounds like a full work up with a rheumatologist is in order to rule out an autoimmune disorder. If you do not have one then the next step would be to go to the eye doctor and have your ducts looked at. I went to an eye doctor for a yearly check up and he told me my eyes were dry and I needed surgery! All for a what he called a semi blocked tear duct. I was having other issues and went to a rheumatologist and had TONS of tests run. It turned out I did have a couple of autoimmune disorders and getting those under control helped my eyes stop being dry. My rheumatologist said my tear ducts looked fine, I was just having issues with the inflammation in my body. Once that was fixed, the eye issue was fixed, no real blockage after all.

In the meantime any natural tear product will help with the discomfort. Do not use an eye drop that "gets the red out" as these have chemicals that can hurt your eyes in the long run.