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Dry Eyes
Click here to find out the American Academy of Ophthalmology's view on dry eyes.
What are common symptoms of dry eyes?
Most common symptoms of dry eyes include:
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Burning, stinging, or itching
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Sandy or gritty sensation, feeling like something is in the eye
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Red eye
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Eye fatigue, heavy eyelids, eye pain and/or headache
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Excessive tearing, watery eyes, discharge, sticky eyelid. It can be hard to imagine how the eyes can be dry and watery at the same time. A simple explanation is when the surface of the eye is irritated becomes of dry eyes, the tear gland tries to make more "watery" tear which causes excessive tearing and watery eyes.
If you have a combination of these symptoms contact us today to find out the cause of your dry eyes and the right treatment for you.
What are common causes of dry eyes?
Tear film is made of 3 distinct layers: mucus, water, and oil (see the video below). Water is secreted from the tear gland and oil is mainly produced by oil glands of the eyelids or meibomian glands. Disruption in any of these 3 layers can cause dry eyes. Common causes and predisposing conditions include:
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Systemic conditions including autoimmune disorders
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Certain medications used for allergies, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety, acne, cancer
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History of LASIK
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Contact lens use
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Diseases of eyelid oil glands or meibomian gland dysfunction
What are treatments for dry eyes?
Treatment of dry eyes goes far beyond simply using artificial tears. Effective treatment of dry eyes relies on identifying and treating the underlying causes. If a systemic condition is suspected, we may order more lab tests and treat the underlying condition. We may recommend to stop certain medications. We examine oil glands of the eyelids (meibomian glands) and image them by LipiScan. Meibomian gland dysfunction is often treated effectively by LipiFlow. We may recommend to close the tear ducts by puntal plugs.
