Dry Eye Therapy

We Can Meet Your Dry Eye Needs

Dry, irritated eyes can make everyday life more difficult, but they can be more than an annoyance. Dry eyes can lead to more significant problems if left unaddressed. However, you can improve your symptoms and protect your eye health with the help of your optometrist.

Visit one of our locations, and we can help diagnose and treat dry eye. Our team is here to help improve your quality of life. If you’re worried about dry eyes, take our dry eye questionnaire and see if booking an appointment is worth your time.

Book Appointment

What Is Dry Eye?

Dry eye (dry eye disease) is a condition where your tears do not lubricate your eyes effectively, leading to irritation and inflammation. Your tears play an important role in the daily function of your eyes. They help protect your eyes from infections and debris and focus light so you can see clearly.

When issues affect your tears, it can lead to dry eyes. You may experience several uncomfortable symptoms when you have dry eye, including:

A scratchy or gritty feeling in the eye
Blurry vision
Difficulty wearing contact lenses
Eyes that feel like they sting or burn
Red, irritated eyes
Watery eyes

What Causes Dry Eye?

Dry eye is a multifactorial condition, meaning several factors can affect how well your tears work. Your eyes become dry when your tear film experiences problems in one of its layers (mucus, water, and oil). These layers keep your tears on your eye’s surface, hydrate and protect your eye, and prevent your tears from evaporating too quickly.

Complications with the tear film typically result in decreased tear production, increased tear evaporation, or both problems simultaneously.

Decreased Tear Production

Decreased tear production occurs when your body doesn’t produce enough tears to hydrate your eyes. The common cause of this condition is aging—patients tend to make fewer tears with time.

Besides aging, decreased tear production can occur because of:

Certain medical conditions like Sjogren’s syndrome & lupus
Certain medications, including antihistamines, acne medicine, & heart medications
Desensitized corneal nerves

Increased Tear Evaporation

Increased tear evaporation occurs when your tears dry too quickly, leading to irritated eyes. This problem typically happens when the glands on your eyelids (meibomian glands) become blocked or clogged. These glands are responsible for releasing the oil needed for your tear film to prevent tear evaporation.

Possible causes of increased tear evaporation include:

Eye allergies
Eyelid problems
Infrequent blinking
Meibomian gland dysfunction
Preservatives in eye drops
Wind, smoke, or dry air
Vitamin A deficiency

Personalized Dry Eye Treatments

Everyone’s dry eye situation is unique, so we tailor our approach to each patient’s specific needs. Our team will learn more about your dry eye situation before recommending a customized treatment plan. Besides in-office procedures, we offer dry eye supplements and eye masks for at-home care.

Some in-office treatments we offer at Howard Optometry include the Optilight by Lumenis and TearCare.

OptiLight by Lumenis

OptiLight by Lumenis is a noninvasive way to treat dry eyes and improve your comfort. This treatment uses light pulses to reduce inflammation and warm your eyelids to relieve dry eye symptoms. Learn more about this treatment by visiting our OptiLight by Lumenis page!

TearCare

The TearCare system is an innovative device that uses localized heat therapy in adult patients dealing with dry eye caused by meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). The TearCare system includes a SmartHub that provides feedback while the device gently and safely expresses oil and removes blockages, allowing your tears to hydrate your eyes more effectively.

The TearCare system is most effective when used together with the manual expression of the meibomian glands.

Dry Eye Questions? Ask Away!

Dry eye can be a complex condition with several factors affecting the tear film. You may have some questions or concerns about dry eye, and we can help. Our team is here for your dry eye needs—all you have to do is ask.

Book an appointment for dry eye diagnosis and treatment.