Dry Eye

Dry eye can significantly affect your quality of life, causing symptoms like burning, blurry vision, eye fatigue, itching, and difficulty reading. Fortunately, there are many treatment options available, from simple self-care to advanced therapies, that can help improve comfort and vision.

Dry eye occurs when your eyes don't produce enough quality tears to properly lubricate and protect the surface of the eye. Tears are essential for keeping the eyes smooth, clear, and free from irritation and infection. This condition is common and often long-lasting, especially in older adults.

Preventive Self Care for Dry Eye:
Simple habits can help manage mild dry eye symptoms. Try blinking regularly during screen use, keeping indoor air humid, and wearing sunglasses outdoors to block wind and sun.

Staying hydrated by drinking enough water each day and considering omega-3 or essential fatty acid supplements may also help. It's also important to check whether any medications you take could be contributing to dry eye and ask your doctor about alternatives if needed.
​​​​​​​

Prescription Dry Eye Treatments

Your eye doctor may recommend prescription options depending on the cause of your dry eye.

In severe cases specialty contact lenses, such as bandage lenses, can help treat the ocular surface to keep the eye surface moist.

Antibiotics may be used if eyelid inflammation is affecting the oil glands in your tears.

Tear-stimulating medications (pills, gels, or eye drops) can also help increase natural tear production.

Prescription treatment of Demdex can help resolve dry eye symptoms.

Prescribed manual cleansing of the lids and antiseptic eyelid sprays.

Dry Eye Procedures

Punctal plugs are tiny silicone inserts placed in the tear ducts to help keep tears on the eye longer by reducing drainage.

Lid expression is an in-office procedure that involves warm compresses and gentle pressure on the eyelids to help clear and improve oil flow of the meibomian glands.

​​​​​​​Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy is a FDA approved non-invasive treatment specifically designed to manage dry eye disease. It uses light pulses to soften and clear blocked oils in the eyelid glands, improving tear quality. Treatment requires 4 sessions or more for optimal results.