What Is Dry Eye Syndrome?
Dry eye refers to the condition in which a person doesn't produce enough quality tears to lubricate and nourish the eye. It is an extremely common condition affecting over 30 million Americans.
Treatments
Depending on the severity and the cause of your dry eyes, our eye doctors may recommend several different treatment options including:
Artificial tear drops: Depending on the nature of your tear film deficiency, we can recommend a specific type of artificial tear to best suit your symptoms.
Environmental changes: Monitoring your exposure to heat ducts or fans blowing as well as exposure to proper humidity levels can reduce symptoms of dry eye syndrome.
Dietary alterations: Sometimes increasing your consumption of oily fish, taking flax seed oil as a dietary supplement, and drinking more water can improve tear film deficiencies.
Punctal plugs: Dissolvable or semi-permanent punctual plugs can be inserted to slow down or even stop the drainage of tears from the eye.
Oral antibiotics or anti-inflammatory drops: If you suffer from underlying issues with inflammation or infection, oral antibiotics such as doxycycline or steroid eye drops might be necessary.
IPL: This light-based therapy, increases the production of tear flow by removing blockages in the Meibomian glands.
The best way to determine how to treat your dry eye syndrome is to schedule an appointment with our experienced eye care specialists.