Dry eye is one of the most common eye conditions patients deal with around the globe. Not only is it annoying, but it can also seriously affect your ability to enjoy life.
You shouldn’t have to live with dry eyes. At the Eye Center of Colorado Springs, we have adopted some of the latest dry eye relief techniques so we can help you get back to enjoying comfortable vision.
If you’re experiencing symptoms of dry eyes, please book an appointment with our eye care team today!
Dry eyes generally have 2 root causes: insufficient or poor quality tears. Your tear film uses 3 distinct ingredients: mucin, water, and oil. When these ingredients become compromised or imbalanced, it can cause dry eye symptoms. Each ingredient has an important role to play in your tear film.
If your tear film’s ingredients are imbalanced, your eyes may:
Your tear film can be affected by a variety of factors, including:
Diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus
Your eyelids hold a lot of responsibility when it comes to keeping your eyes feeling hydrated and comfortable. Around the edges of your eyelids are a series of glands, known as meibomian glands, that are responsible for producing the oil that keeps your tear film from evaporating.
When these glands are blocked due to bacteria, biofilm, or bacterial toxins, it can prevent the production of oil your eyes need. If this happens, your optometrist may use BlephEx to help clean the edges of your eyelids. BlephEx is a tool used in-office that rotates a soft brush at speeds capable of cleaning these blockages, allowing your meibomian glands to produce the oil your eyes crave!
RESTASIS is a type of powerful eye drop used by optometrists to help your eyes naturally produce tears. Unlike over-the-counter eye drops, RESTASIS is a prescription medicine used to help reduce inflammation caused by dry eyes.
If you’re struggling with bacterial infections in or around the edges of your eyelid, your optometrist may recommend using hypochlorous acid.
Hypochlorous acid is a medication often used in dermatology, dentistry, and optometry. Optometrists use it to help eliminate microorganisms related to conditions like blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction.
Meibomian gland dysfunction is one of the most common causes of dry eyes around the globe. When meibomian glands are blocked, your eyes can’t produce the oils they need to seal in hydration and feel comfortable.
Aside from a physical cleaning and medicated eye drops, your optometrist may also opt for meibomian gland expression. This treatment gently massages the glands to help them excrete oil and get back to keeping your eyes from feeling dry.
In some cases, dry eye symptoms may not be related to the health of your tear film but rather to the health of the surface of your eye. Anterior segment photography lets your optometrist take a detailed look at the anterior segment of your eye to help find the cause of your symptoms. The anterior segment of your eye includes the iris, lens, cornea, eyelids, sclera, and aqueous humor.
Cequa is a prescribed artificial tear used to help treat dry eye syndrome. What sets this apart from other products is its unique nanomicellar formula that helps the solution enter corneal and conjunctival cells.
Xiidra is a prescribed artificial tear your optometrist may recommend to help treat symptoms of dry eye. Xiidra helps reduce inflammation of your conjunctiva and lacrimal glands.
Living with dry eyes doesn’t have to be a way of life. Take charge of your dry eye symptoms and book an appointment with our eye care team today! We’ll help you find the tools you need to manage your symptoms.
Find us on the corner of South Weber Street and Colorado Avenue.
You can access our private parking lot from South Weber Street.
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Eye Care Center of Colorado Springs
