The medical term for dry eye is keratoconjunctivitis sicca, often shortened to KCS, and many eye doctors simply write dry eye disease or dry eye syndrome. It describes eyes that do not make enough tears or whose tears evaporate too fast, leaving the surface irritated.
The long name looks hard but breaks into familiar parts, and eye notes add their own shorthand, such as OU for both eyes. This page splits the term into its roots, explains the two main types of dry eye, and shows how it is written in an eye exam note.
At a glance
Medical term
Keratoconjunctivitis siccaAbbreviations
KCS; DED for dry eye diseaseWord roots
kerat cornea, conjunctiv conjunctiva, itis inflammation, sicca dryMain types
Aqueous deficient and evaporativeDo not confuse with
Xerophthalmia, severe dryness tied to vitamin A deficiencySpecialty
Ophthalmology, optometry
Taking apart the medical term for dry eye
| Piece | Meaning |
|---|---|
| kerato | Cornea, the clear front window of the eye |
| conjunctiv | Conjunctiva, the thin membrane over the white of the eye and inside the lids |
| itis | Inflammation |
| sicca | Latin for dry |
Put together, the phrase means dryness with inflammation of the cornea and conjunctiva. Sicca appears in other terms too, such as sicca symptoms, which describes dry eyes and dry mouth together. Many clinicians feel the longer name is a mouthful and prefer dry eye disease in everyday notes.
Two main kinds of dry eye
The tear film has three layers: an inner mucus layer, a middle watery layer and an outer oily layer that slows evaporation. Problems with any layer can cause dryness.
- Aqueous deficient dry eye: the tear glands make too little of the watery layer. Causes include aging, some autoimmune conditions and certain medicines.
- Evaporative dry eye: enough tears are made, but the oil glands along the eyelid margins do not work well, so tears dry too fast. This is the more common type, and many people have a mix of both.
Screens and reading reduce blinking, and dry indoor air, wind, contact lenses, eye surgery and some allergy, blood pressure and mood medicines can all add to the problem.
How dry eye shows up in an eye exam note
Assessment and plan: "A/P: keratoconjunctivitis sicca OU; artificial tears 1 gtt QID." This reads as dry eye in both eyes, with a plan of one drop of lubricating tears four times a day. GTT means drop and QID means four times daily; this is an example of format only.
Eye notes may also mention a tear breakup time, which measures how quickly the tear film breaks apart after a blink, a strip test that measures tear production, and staining with a dye that lights up dry spots on the cornea. Side shorthand includes OD for the right eye and OS for the left. Because OD and OS appear among the error prone abbreviations that ISMP flags, many eye clinics now spell out right eye and left eye.
Symptoms people describe
People with dry eye often say their eyes feel gritty, sandy, burning or tired. Some notice blurry vision that clears with blinking. A surprising symptom is watery eyes: the irritated surface triggers bursts of reflex tears that are too thin to protect the eye well.
Sudden eye pain, a red eye with vision loss, light sensitivity or discharge are not typical of simple dry eye and should be checked promptly by an eye care professional.
Frequently asked questions
What do eye doctors call dry eyes?
Eye doctors use keratoconjunctivitis sicca, abbreviated KCS, or the simpler dry eye disease. Both describe the same condition.
What does sicca mean?
Sicca is Latin for dry. In medicine it describes dryness of the eyes, mouth or other surfaces.
Is xerophthalmia the same as dry eye?
Not usually. The word means dry eye, but doctors mostly use it for severe eye damage from vitamin A deficiency, while everyday dryness is called dry eye disease.
What does KCS OU mean?
It means keratoconjunctivitis sicca in both eyes. OU is the abbreviation for both eyes.
Why do dry eyes water?
An irritated eye surface triggers reflex tearing. Those tears are mostly watery and do not stay on the eye long enough to fix the dryness.