Suffering from dry eye can be more than just mildly annoying. It is often a chronic condition that can cause significant discomfort and visual disturbances that interfere with your daily activities.
Symptoms of dry eye may include:
• Stinging, burning, or scratching sensation
• Gritty or sandy feeling, as if something is in the eye
• Stringy mucus in or around the eyes
• Blurred vision
• Sensitivity to light
• Difficulty wearing contact lenses
• Eye fatigue
• Intermittent, excessive tearing
How our office can help
If you are experiencing persistent dry eye symptoms, it is essential to make an appointment with our office for a comprehensive eye exam and care. We’ll evaluate your symptoms, review your overall health history and discuss if any of your current medications might be contributing to the condition. We will also examine your eyelids, evaluate your blink dynamics and inspect the cornea of your eyes. In some cases, environmental factors can put you at risk for dry eye. Diagnostic testing to measure the quantity and quality of your tears will be recommended and performed as needed.
The treatment for dry eye depends on the severity of the symptoms and the presence of any underlying conditions. However, in all cases, the overall objective remains the same. Treatment must restore a sufficient amount of tears to relieve eye discomfort, minimize dryness, and protect eye health.
While artificial tears and soothing ointments work well in many situations, more advanced or unresponsive cases often require other approaches to care. Additional treatment options can include anti-inflammatory eye drops or tablets, medications to boost tear production or unblock oil glands, eye inserts that work like artificial tears, procedures to conserve tears and prevent them from draining away, special contact lenses, intense pulsed light therapy and eyelid massage.
