Dry eye syndrome is a common condition that occurs when your eyes don't produce enough tears to keep their eyes moisturized. It can also occur if the tears that you produce are of low quality, and evaporate before adequately lubricating your eyes.
The condition can make it feel as though you have something in your eyes. It can also cause your eyes to sting, burn, and it can cause blurry vision. Fortunately, our staff can treat the condition with one of many eye care solutions. The selected treatment method will depend on the severity of your condition.
Artificial Tears
Artificial tears are commonly prescribed for mild to moderate cases of dry eye. The tears are used several times a day when you feel that your eyes are drying out. Artificial tears can be purchased over the counter or given to you by an optometrist.
Tear-Producing Medication
Our optometrist can prescribe a medication that is designed to help your eye produce more, higher-quality tears. Restasis is the most commonly prescribed medication.
Eye Inserts
Eye inserts are slow-release artificial tears. The insert is tiny, about the size of a grain of rice. You would place the insert between your eye and your lower lid, and throughout the day, it will dissolve slowly, keeping your eyes moisturized.
Punctal Plugs
In severe cases of dry eye, your optometrist may want to close off your tear ducts either partially or entirely. This is done to prevent the tears that you do produce from draining away. The punctal plugs that your eye doctor would use are made of silicone.
Thermal Cautery
If you are responding well to the punctal plugs, your optometrist may want to close off the tear ducts permanently using this form of eye surgery. This is done through a procedure called thermal cautery, which uses heat to close the tear ducts partially or completely.
Specialty Contact Lenses
If you wear contacts, our optometrist can fit you with a contact lens that will both correct your vision and treat your dry eye. Scleral contact lenses sit on the white of your eye rather than the cornea the way that traditional lenses do. The contacts vault over the cornea, trapping moisture in your eyes.
Light Therapy and Eyelid Massage
In very severe cases of dry eye, your optometrist may recommend a technique called intense-pulsed light therapy. That, combined with massage of the eyelids, can help treat the condition.
