Wash Away Your Eye Irritation & Discomfort
Millions of Americans struggle with dry eye syndrome every single day. No matter the cause, this issue can leave your eyes feeling irritated, gritty, and outright uncomfortable. You deserve solutions that bring you reliefโyou deserve the team at Lake Eye Associates.
Using in-depth diagnostic strategies and a range of treatment options, a dry eye ophthalmologist can help improve your quality of life by getting to the source of your dry eye issues. Our approach isnโt just comprehensive; itโs completely catered to your needs.
Find comfort and clarity with a dry eye specialist today.
Why Do Your Eyes Feel Dry?
Dry eyes occur due to the imbalance of essential layers that make up your tear film. Your tear film is responsible for keeping your eyes hydrated and comfortable, but several different issues can affect the quality of your tear film and its layers, leading to dry eye symptoms.
These layers include:
- The mucus layer, which adheres the tear film even to your eyes
- The water layer, which hydrates your eyes
- The oil layer, which seals in the tear film and prevents it from evaporating
Determining which layers are affected can help diagnose what type of dry eye you have and what treatments suit you best.
Diagnosing Dry Eye Syndrome
Dry eye syndrome can be split into 2 different types: evaporative dry eye and aqueous tear deficiency.
The former affects the oil layer of your tear film, causing the tear film to evaporate too quickly. The latter affects the water content of your tear film, preventing your eyes from feeling hydrated.
We perform a variety of different tests to determine the type of dry eye you have. With this information, we can start treating your eyes with solutions appropriate for your needs.
Questionnaire
One of the first steps we take is asking you a series of questions regarding your symptoms. These questions can help us decide which tests will be best for diagnosing what is causing your dry eye symptoms.
Schirmerโs Test
A Schirmerโs test assesses your tear production to ensure you have enough tears to keep your eyes feeling comfortable and hydrated. We determine this by gently placing a strip of filter paper inside the lower eyelid and testing the moisture it collects.
LipiScan
LipiScan is a unique technology that helps analyze the health of your meibomian glands and look for issues related to meibomian gland dysfunctionโa leading cause of dry eye across the country.
Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: A Leading Cause of Dry Eye
Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is one of the most common causes of dry eye in the country. MGD is so common that recent research shows that itโs responsible for 86% of all dry eye cases.
Your meibomian glands are located around the edges of your eyelids, and theyโre responsible for producing the oil content your eyes need to seal in your tear film and keep it from evaporating. When MGD develops, it blocks these glands and prevents them from supporting your tear film. As a result, your tear film evaporates faster than normal, leading to dry eye symptoms.
Aging, certain medications, and health conditions like Sjogrenโs syndrome can increase the risk of developing MGD.
Symptoms
When your tear film evaporates too quickly, you may develop:
- Redness
- Itchiness
- Wateriness
- Light sensitivity
- Blurry vision
What Is Blepharitis?
A common issue you may experience is blepharitis, otherwise known as chronic inflammation of your eyelid. This condition shares several symptoms with MGD, but it can also increase the risk of developing:
- Styes
- Skin flakiness
- Conjunctivitis
- Chalazion
- Corneal injuries
How to Find Relief
Before looking for solutions on your own, please speak with our team. By thoroughly examining your eyes and determining what may be causing your symptoms, we can develop a strategy to help your eyes feel hydrated and comfortable.
Some of our treatments can help alleviate symptoms in just a few minutes. Take a look at a few of our options by clicking each title.
Oasis Rest & Relief Warm Compresses
Oasis Rest & Relief warm compresses are an effective and easy-to-use way to manage your dry eye symptoms.
Warm compresses are heated face masks that help melt away and soothe blockages causing meibomian gland dysfunction and blepharitis symptoms.
Eye Drops
We can offer several types of eye drops to help alleviate dry eye symptoms.
Depending on what is causing your symptoms, we can prescribe medical eye drops like Restasis and Xiidra. We can also recommend Oasis cleansers and nighttime moisturizers.
LipiFlow
LipiFlow thermal pulsation and massaging technology is a common treatment we use for alleviating meibomian gland dysfunction symptoms.
The treatment gently heats and massages the inner and outer areas of your eyelids to help melt and clear away obstructions blocking your meibomian glands.
BlephEx
BlephEx is a unique treatment we use to clean away dirt and bacteria building up on the edges of your eyelids. By clearing away these problems, we can help soothe and prevent symptoms of blepharitis.
Get Back to Enjoying Your Eye Comfort
Seeing your best is also feeling your best. If youโre struggling with dry eye symptoms, please get in touch with our team today.
Our Locations
We are a proud partner with US Eye, a group that provides patient-first, sophisticated,
unrivaled care in ophthalmology, optometry, dermatology, and more.