Dry Eye Therapy | Pearl Optometry

Irritating, Uncomfortable Eyes

We use our eyes all day long, but we rarely think of them—unless they’re uncomfortable, and then they’re all we think about. Adults might turn to redness-relieving eye drops, while kids often rub their eyes. But neither strategy tackles the true cause of tired, scratchy eyes.

Dry eye is a chronic, common, and uncomfortable condition, impacting more than 16 million Americans. Not only is it irritating, but it can really put a damper on your daily activities. Dry eyes can decrease your quality of life and hinder productivity.

But relief is available! Book an exam today for a comprehensive eye exam to diagnose your dry eye symptoms. If left untreated, dry eye can lead to long-term infections and eye damage down the road. Any time your eyes are uncomfortable, it’s best to pay us a visit and rule out more problematic conditions.

Symptoms of Dry Eye

Dry eye symptoms generally occur in both eyes at the same time and can include:

Stinging or burning
Gritty or scratchy feeling
Foreign body sensation
Red or watery eyes
Blurry vision
Sensitivity to light
Eye fatigue
Stringy mucus in or around your eyes
Discomfort when wearing contacts

If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, book your appointment to explore dry eye treatment options today.

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What Is Dry Eye Syndrome?

Dry is exactly what it sounds like—it occurs when your eyes aren’t producing enough lubrication to keep them moist and comfortable.

There are 2 main types of dry eye. The first—and least common—occurs when the eyes simply don’t produce enough tears. The second occurs when the tears are of poor quality.

Decreased Tear Production

Reasons for decreased tear production are varied and might include:

Contact lens wear
Normal aging
Medications such as antihistamines or antidepressants
Medical conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or Sjögren’s Syndrome
Recent laser vision correction surgery

Poor-Quality Tears

Good-quality tears depend on a balanced and effective tear film. The tear film is made up of 3 layers—a mucus layer to spread the tears over the surface of the eye, a water layer to hydrate the eye, and an oil layer to keep the water from evaporating too quickly. If there’s an imbalance in the tear film, dry eye syndrome can result.

The tiny glands along the top and bottom edges of the eyelids, called the meibomian glands are responsible for producing the oil layer of your tear film. Blockages in these glands can cause a reduction in the amount of oil produced, leading to dry eyes.

When we diagnose your dry eye syndrome, we’ll also look at the condition of your meibomian glands and recommend treatment options if they’re not functioning properly.

Finding Relief From Dry Eyes

Dry eye syndrome affects millions of adults throughout the world. This condition can affect our daily lives by causing fluctuating vision, irritated/burning eyes, tearing, redness, and even significant pain. To combat this increasingly common condition, we now offer dry eye services at Pearl Optometry.

We are proud to offer cutting edge treatment to combat chronic dry eye, including but not limited to:

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment is the newest and most up-to-date technology we can now offer at Pearl Optometry. This technology uses short pulses of light that are focused on the upper cheeks and eyelids. This procedure targets and reduces inflammation that causes a large portion of dry eye cases. Inflammation can damage the glands in our eyelids and lead to lower-quality oil and/or a lower amount of oil that is necessary to moisturize our eyes.

MiboFlow is a device that warms and massages the eyelids to directly clear out our glands. With this service, once the eyelids are warm the doctors will be able to easily remove the old, thickened existing oils in the glands to make way for fresh, new oils to nourish our eyes.

Punctal plugs are very small and can be inserted into the drainage system in our eyes. These plugs can be dissolvable or permanent and allows our natural tears to stay on our eyes for longer periods of time.

Prescription eye drops may also be beneficial but greatly depends on the type of dryness. It may be used in conjunction with any other treatments above if necessary.

Treatment will be tailored to the cause of each patient’s dryness. An eye doctor will discuss the best option that will target the specific symptoms experienced by each patient.

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