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July is Dry Eye Awareness Month at PBO

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Prevent Blindness Ohio

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For more information:
Dori Jennings
Prevent Blindness Ohio
(614) 464-2020 x. 105
[email protected]

July Declared as Dry Eye Month by Prevent Blindness Ohio to Provide Public and Allied Healthcare Professionals with No-cost Educational Resources on Dry Eye

– Prevent Blindness Ohio offers expert-approved educational resources covering dry eye causes, symptoms, tips and more   –

Columbus, OH (July 5, 2026) – Prevent Blindness Affiliate has declared July as Dry Eye Month to raise awareness and educate the public and healthcare allies on dry eye. The condition occurs when tears do not provide adequate lubrication for the eyes. In some cases, dry eye can decrease vision, and if left untreated, may cause damage to the front of the eye.

Prevent Blindness Ohio offers free dry eye resources including a dedicated webpage, fact sheets and social media graphics available in English and Spanish, and expert and patient videos. Dry Eye Month is once again supported by OCuSOFT Inc., a privately held eye and skin care company dedicated to innovation in eyelid hygiene and ocular health.

New this year, Prevent Blindness will include a dry eye discussion in the July episode of the Prevent Blindness Focus on Eye Health Podcast, featuring Prevent Blindness ASPECT Patient Engagement Program participants Aidan Moore, co-founder and executive director of the Dry Eye Foundation, and Pam Gaio, an individual living with dry eye.

The Prevent Blindness Focus on Eye Health Expert Series includes:

Symptoms of dry eye include

  • Fluctuating blurry vision

  • Burning or stinging

  • Particles in the eye

  • Gritty, sandy feeling

  • Itchiness

  • Redness and inflammation

  • Stringy mucus

  • Extreme sensitivity, especially to cigarette smoke

  • Increased sensitivity to light

According to the AAO, health conditions that can cause dry eye include diabetes, thyroid dysfunction, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren syndrome, Parkinson’s disease, and rosacea. Those who have had previous eye surgery are also at higher risk.

Additionally, the AAO states that taking certain medicines can cause dry eye, such as diuretics (water pills), beta-blockers, allergy and cold medicines (antihistamines), sleeping pills, anxiety medications and antidepressants, and heartburn medications. Patients should always alert their eye doctor to any medications they are taking, including prescription and non-prescription medicines.

The use of eye drops is a common dry eye treatment recommended by eye doctors. Prevent Blindness Ohio offers materials on the proper way to take eye drops, including a printable one-sheet, an informative video, “How to Use Eye Drops,” featuring Dr. Yara Catoira-Boyle, Visionary Eye Specialists, and a dedicated webpage at PreventBlindness.org/taking-eye-drop-medications.

“Dry eye is commonly misunderstood. If left untreated, it can cause significant damage to vision,” said Amy Pulles, President & CEO of Prevent Blindness Ohio. “Speak with your eye doctor to go over all of your symptoms, medical history and medications to ensure that sight can be preserved today and for the future.”

For more information on dry eye, please visit the Prevent Blindness resource page at PreventBlindness.org/dry-eye, or contact Prevent Blindness Ohio at 800-301-2020, or visit Prevent Blindness Ohio at pbohio.org.

About Prevent Blindness
Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation’s leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. The Ohio Affiliate of Prevent Blindness serves all 88 Ohio counties, providing direct services to more than 1,000,000 Ohioans annually and educating millions of consumers about what they can do to protect and preserve their precious gift of sight. For more information or to contribute, call 800-301-2020 or donate here. Visit us at pbohio.org.
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