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Tests and diagnosis
By Mayo Clinic staffIf your eyes feel dry and irritated, your eye doctor can test both the quantity and the quality of your tears.
Your doctor may measure your tear production using the Schirmer tear test. In this test, blotting strips of paper are placed under your lower eyelids. After five minutes your doctor measures the amount of strip soaked by your tears.
Other tests use special dyes in eyedrops to determine the surface condition of your eyes. Your doctor looks for staining patterns on the cornea and measures how long it takes before your tears evaporate.
