Modern Family’s Julie Bowen gets real about chronic dry eye: What to know about the progressive condition

Itchy, red, irritated eyes could be a symptom of many things, but chronic dry eye is a common culprit.

Dry eye is a condition that occurs when the eyes do not produce enough quality tears, leading to burning, stinging and general ocular discomfort, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology.

Julie Bowen, best known for her role as Claire Dunphy on the sitcom "Modern Family," spoke with Fox News Digital in an on-camera interview about her recent diagnosis with the condition.

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While the actress was on set for the new comedic thriller "Hysteria!", she noticed that her contacts would dry out due to the "smoky" environment, she said.

During a break from shooting, Bowen went to visit her eye doctor, who told her she had dry eye, a progressive condition that’s mostly caused by inflammation.

"You can’t just wet the top of your eyeball and treat the inflammation, which is what I had been trying to do [with eyedrops]," she said.

Bowen was prescribed an anti-inflammatory eye drop, Xiidra, and used it as prescribed twice a day for about nine months.

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Although it wasn’t an immediate fix, Bowen reported that over time, she was able to keep her contact lenses in "longer and longer."

"I’m able to not feel my eyeballs," she said. "One of the eye doctors I was working with … told me, ‘You’re not supposed to feel your eyeballs.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, right!’ If you feel your eyeballs, something’s wrong."

Dr. Derek Cunningham, director of Dell Laser Consultants in Austin, Texas, told Fox News Digital in an interview that dry eye comes in "all different forms."

Cunningham, who treats people from all over the U.S. at Dell Laser’s dedicated dry eye center, called dry eye the "potentially most prevalent disease" in North America.

Modern lifestyles, including frequent computer use, have driven an uptick in dry eye cases, as the eye is the "highest-friction area of the human body," the doctor said.

"You blink 10,000 times a day," he went on. "The tear film is bringing nutrients to your cornea."

"So, your tears are not just a lubricant — they're actually the lifeline of your cornea and the front of your eye."

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As people age, fewer tears are produced due to hormonal changes, according to Cunningham – and women suffer from dry eye more than men for this reason.

Young workers in forced-air environments, like offices, are most at risk, he noted.

"When you stare at a computer screen, your blink rate can go down to two to four times a minute; on average, it’s supposed to be about 20 to 40 times a minute," he said. "We sit at the computer all day without hydration, and that builds up inflammation over time."

Typing on a computer for a long period of time is "literally like sprinting for your eyes," the expert noted. 

Dry eye can have different symptoms based on gender, ethnicity and other variables, but some "hallmark" signs are consistent dryness, fluctuating vision and overall awareness of your eyes throughout the day, according to Cunningham.

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"You should not notice that your eyes are in your head," he said. "And if you notice they're there, that's most commonly dry eye."

When treating dry eye, there is "no one product for everybody," said Cunningham.

Some options include anti-inflammatory eye drops, tearduct plugs, intense pulsed light therapy (IPL) and other laser treatments.

While artificial tears can be a "refreshing tool," prescription steroids and anti-inflammatory drops are needed to address the inflammation, Cunningham said.

Skin is also "intimately involved" in dry eye, Cunningham noted, as inflammation in the skin, or rosacea, can have a direct correlation to the condition.

"We have to look more at the skin in your face in order to truly manage dry eye," the doctor said.

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Bowen encourages everyone to get routine eye exams, particularly those with dry eye symptoms. As the condition is progressive and will worsen with time, it's important to "get ahead" of it, she said.

"It’s not going to get better if you’re not treating the inflammation," Bowen added.

Making lifestyle changes — like eating a well-rounded diet that includes anti-inflammatory foods and exercising regularly — can also help, Cunningham said.

"A little bit of caffeine will help dry eye, but a lot of caffeine makes it way worse," the expert noted, while drinking water doesn't seem to have an impact.

Cunningham added, "Getting on things early and stopping the progression is the key."