What is Dry Eye?
Are You Struggling With Dry Eye?
Do your eyes ever feel gritty, burning, or like they’re constantly tired? You might be experiencing dry eye disease. It’s a common condition that happens when your eyes can’t produce enough tears, or the tears you have evaporate too quickly which lead to uncomfortable symptoms. Without effective treatment dry eye symptoms can keep you from enjoying the things you love most, like reading, working, or even relaxing on your patio.
At Optics, we are excited to offer our community the latest in innovative dry eye therapy. Our patient-centric approach to dry eye therapy offers patients immediate dry eye relief and helps to treat the root cause of the issue.
Dry Eyes: Understanding The Root Of The Discomfort
Dry eye disease (DED) is an eye condition that occurs when your eyes don’t get adequate lubrication from your tears to keep them moist and comfortable. It is a condition that results in the inflammation of the eye and the tear producing glands which decreases the eye’s ability to produce normal, quality tears. Simply stated, the quality of your tears is the culprit.
Today the leading cause of dry eye disease is Meibomian Gland Disease (MGD). In fact, a staggering 86% of patients presenting with dry eye symptoms is known to be caused by MGD.
These symptoms include:
- Scratchy or gritty feeling in your eyes
- Burning or stinging sensation
- Blurry vision, especially that fluctuates
- Light sensitivity
- Red irritated eyes
- Excessive tearing (may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes dry eyes can trigger reactive tear production as the body tries to compensate)
MGD occurs when inflammation causes the meibomian glands, located in the eyelids, to not sufficiently produce and release the oils needed to protect and maintain a healthy tear film. This causes the watery layer in the tear film to evaporate too quickly, leading to dry eye symptoms. Thus, the problem for many dry eye patients is not inadequate tear production, as thought for so many years, but a lack of oil production that ensures the protective integrity of the tear film is maintained on a daily basis.
Finding The RIGHT Solution
The good news is that today there are more options for treating dry eyes than ever before. Depending on the cause and severity of your condition, a combination of treatments may be utilized.
Traditional dry eye treatments such as artificial tears, dry eye medications, hot compresses, eyelid scrubs and punctal plugs can help alleviate the symptoms of dry eye syndrome in some patients. Unfortunately, many patients do not find sustainable relief as these treatments target only the symptoms of dry eye.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is different from these traditional treatments as it treats the root cause of dry eye instead of simply treating the symptoms. Although results differ for everyone, many studies have shown that 93% of patients are satisfied with the results of IPL therapy for dry eye, which can potentially provide long-term relief.
At Optics, we can diagnose dry eye disease and create a treatment plan to keep your eyes comfortable and healthy. If you’re experiencing dry eye symptoms, don’t hesitate to schedule an appointment with our optometrist. We’ll help you find relief and get your eyes feeling comfortable again.
