Dry Eye Treatment in Colorado Springs

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Wash Away Dry Eyes

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.

Living with dry eyes in Colorado is especially common. High altitude, dry climate, and wind and sun exposure can significantly contribute to the evaporation of tears, leading to the symptoms of dry eyes.

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 such as meibomian gland expression, BlephEx, RESTASIS Eye Drops, and more 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!

What is Dry Eye?

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.

  • The mucin is responsible for keeping the rest of your tear film fastened to the surface of your eye, as well as making sure it spreads out evenly.
  • Water helps wash away particles from the surface of your eye as well as helps keep your eye feeling hydrated and comfortable.
  • Oil, or lipids, collect on the outer surface of the tear film and are responsible for keeping the rest of the tear film sealed in, slowing evaporation.

If your tear film’s ingredients are imbalanced, your eyes may:

  • Experience a burning, stinging, or gritty feeling
  • Become overly red or watery
  • Become sensitive to light
  • Become blurry
  • Produce a stringy mucus in or around your eyes
  • Experience discomfort when wearing contact lenses

Your tear film can be affected by a variety of factors, including:

Diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus

Dry Eye Treatments We Offer

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.

Manage Your Symptoms Today

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.

Visit Our Office in Colorado Springs

Where to Find Us?

Find us on the corner of South Weber Street and Colorado Avenue.

Where to Park?

You can access our private parking lot from South Weber Street.

Our Address

110 South Weber Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Contact Information

Phone: 719-576-5844
[email protected]

Hours of Operation

Monday
8 AM7 PM
Tuesday
8 AM5 PM
Wednesday
8 AM5 PM
Thursday
8 AM7 PM
Friday
9 AM5 PM
Saturday
9 AM2 PM
Sunday
Closed

Our Services

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