Dry Eye Treatment and Causes

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Dry eye is a real medical condition & we have treatments:

These days many people have problems with dry eyes and could benefit from dry eye treatments.  The symptoms include blurry vision, a gritty feeling or even pain in the eyes – the good new is there are dry eye treatments to solve your problem .  One of the main reasons for this problem is computer monitors and phone screens.  These screens diminish the blink response, which is necessary for moving your own tears over the surface of the eyes; without adequate blinking, the tears evaporate and are not replenished sufficiently to moisturize the surface of the eye, leading to the onset of uncomfortable symptoms.

The surface of your eye is not smooth on its own.  The tear film crates a glassy surface on the eye so the light can enter the eye without distortion at the front surface. The tear film, in simple terms, consists of a protein layer (mucin), a water layer and a fat layer.  If any of these layers are inadequate, symptoms will occur, including blurry vision and possible discomfort.

Depending upon which part of the tear film is a problem, we can prescribe the correct dry eye treatment plan to fix the trouble.  In many cases, the use of the proper artificial tear will solve the dryness; there are many different types of tears, to address different aspects of dry eyes.  Dr. Tanchel can examine your eyes and determine which tear is best for you.  There are also prescription medications which can help your body create more tears, and lessen the symptoms of discomfort and blurry vision. There are many factors which indicate which dry eye treatments are best for you, so an exam is very important.

Just like your skin gets dryer as you get older due to less production of oil, your eyes can get dry as well.  There is a lipid for fat layer at the surface of the tear film, which is necessary to decrease evaporation of the water part of your tears.  It is produced by oil glands called meibomian glands in the lids.  For some patients, procedures to increase the lipid layer of the tear film are helpful.  These procedures include light treatments, heat treatments and others.  We offer a dry eye laser-light treatment which is very effective to correct dry eyes; it’s called IPL (Intense Pulsed Light). Dr. Tanchel has been using the IPL treatment to treat dry eyes for many years with excellent results. We can see if you’re a good candidate for that treatment during a consultation.  It is a very fast, painless procedure. 

It is common to have some dryness after LASIK, due to a temporary change in sensory nerve function at the surface of the eye. This is a temporary issue, and resolves after healing. Artificial tears are used until healing is complete as a supplement for the tear film.  Once the nerves grow back and your sensation returns to normal, your body will automatically create the correct amount of tears again.

Bottom line, dry eyes can be a multi-faceted problem, which requires proper diagnosis and treatment to get relief.  If you have dry eyes, we can help – if you have this problem give us a call and feel better with the right dry eye treatment!