I have talked in different threads about my diabetic retinopathy issues, but not much about my other eye issues.
I also have dry eyes syndrome, and had a nasty corneal ulcer which required a graft.
It is usually the corneal specialists that deal with dry eye issues. They might put yellow dye in your eyes to look at the surfaces. One explained to me when you wake in the morning and open your eyes you can literally tear the surfaces, so I had goopy ointment at night to prevent that happening, followed by as many drops as I could get in during the day, hourly even.
That was not enough so they put plugs in my tear ducts so the tears continually covered the surfaces, It is really annoying to have your eyes water nonstop, so after trying that for a while, I realized I preferred the goop and drops regime, and continue to do that. It can also be made worse by airconditioning, and I think they made sure my eyes shut completely too, even a tiny area not covered by the lids can cause problems.
I have always been treated by the big specialist eye hospital here, and not sure if it is the same where you live but there are different clinics for different issues- retinas, corneas, I also see the neuro- ophthalmologist as I have a nerve palsy, and they reffered me to the ocular motility people. So many things can go wrong in eyes. make sure you get referred to the right place!