I am on advair, i have been getting dry eyes lately. Could this be the advair

Hi John,

I don't see dry eyes listed as a possible side effect for Advair, so it seems unlikely, although we can never be absolutely sure about the effect a drug will have on every individual. Still, I think it might be more likely that your dry eyes are related more to one or more of the following:

- the environment: summer heat and/or smoky wildfires (if you live in an area where that is an issue) OR summer heat combined with poor air quality from pollution in urban areas

- aging: as we get older, our eye membranes often get drier and our tear ducts produce less lubrication

- allergies: dryness is one symptom of eye allergies

It's difficult to know for sure without knowing your medical history or examining you. My advice is to first get some OTC artificial tears type eye drops (not the same as Visine, etc.) and see if they help. Refresh is a good brand, but there are many competitors too. If that doesn't work, you might try one of the new antihistamine eye drops such as Alaway or Zaditor, both of which are also available OTC.

And if that doesn't work, then see your eye doctor!

To your health,

Kathi