Dry Eye Treatment

Dry eye is a long-term chronic disease that causes discomfort and may compromise vision if left untreated. The condition occurs when the eyes do not produce enough tears or the appropriate quality of tears to keep the eyes lubricated, healthy and comfortable. The eyes produce tears either at a slow, steady pace or they produce large quantities of tears due to irritation or crying. Excessive tearing from dry eye may sound counterintuitive, but it is the eye’s response to discomfort. If the tears do not keep the eye wet enough, the eye becomes irritated and prompts the gland to make more tears.

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Types of Dry Eye

• Evaporative Dry Eye is caused by blockage in the Meibomian glands that create the lipid (oil) layer of the tear film and are located in the eyelids. This condition of obstructed glands is known as Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). When the glands aren’t working properly, they do not produce enough tear film oil and the tears, which lubricate and keep the eyes comfortable, evaporate too quickly. An insufficient oil layer can cause tears to evaporate four to six times faster. 
• Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye occurs when the lacrimal glands do not create a sufficient amount of aqueous (water) to keep the eyes moist. Traditional treatments such as topical eye drops may help alleviate symptoms from this form of dry eye.

What causes Evaporative Dry Eye?

• Age, contact lens use and hygiene, cosmetic use, and illnesses, particularly diabetes, may cause or exacerbate Evaporative Dry Eye.
• Hormonal changes in women during menopause, particularly decreasing levels of estrogen, can cause thickening of the oils secreted by the Meibomian glands, which in turn can result in blockages.
• Decreased estrogen levels may enhance conditions under which staphylococcal bacteria can proliferate in Meibomian glands. This results in a decreased oil secretion rate.

Who’s affected?

Over 100 million people worldwide suffer from dry eye disease. Men and women at any age can be affected; however, dry eye increases with age and often affects women after menopause.

What are the symptoms?

• Dryness
• Itching
• Burning
• Stinging
• Tearing
• Redness
• Sensation of something in your eye
• Sensitivity to light

Why is it important to treat dry eye?

If left untreated, dry eye can result in visual deterioration. Dry eye is a real physical condition that requires treatment to stop the cycle of deterioration and worsening symptoms. It is a chronic disease that must be properly diagnosed and managed. Without proper treatment, Dry eye deterioration may result in:

• Increased tear evaporation
• Unstable tear film
• Damage to the eye’s surface (cornea)
• Higher levels of discomfort
• Inflammation and cell damage
• Fluctuation and decrease in vision

Chesapeake Eye Care and Laser Center is proud to be one of the only practices in our area to offer patients treatment with OptiLight by Lumenis. 

OptiLight is a safe, gentle, and effective treatment done to manage dry eye disease. This non-invasive procedure is the first and only FDA-approved intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment for dry eye management.

OptiLight uses pulses of light precisely administered in the area below the eyes to reduce dry eye symptoms. This 10-15 minute procedure can relieve dry eye symptoms by:

• Increasing tear break-up time
• Reducing the amount of demodex mites and bacteria around your eyes
• Decreasing inflammation inflammation
• Improving meibomian gland functionality

Click here to learn more about treatment with OptiLight.

Additional Treatments for Dry Eye

Punctal Plugs
Punctal Plugs are an adjunct in dry eye treatment. Punctal Plugs preserve a patient's own tears by reducing the drainage of tears through the nasolacrimal duct. They are available in both temporary and permanent forms.

Eye Drops
Many forms of eye medications are available to include artificial tears, allergy eye drops, Restasis®, and Xiidra®. These medications work by various mechanisms to add to the tear volume, allow the tears to better coat the eye or block cells which compromise the ocular surface.

PROKERA
PROKERA® biologic corneal bandage devices are used by eye doctors around the world to heal and treat eye diseases such as, keratitis, common dry eye, recurrent corneal erosions, filamentary keratitis, persistent epithelial defects, neurotrophic corneas, herpetic ulcers, and many other ocular surface diseases.

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If you experience any dry eye symptoms on a regular basis or if simple activities like reading, using a computer, watching television, driving or even wearing contact lenses become difficult, call us today at 1-877-DR4-2020 to learn more or click here to schedule an appointment.