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Dry Eye

Eye Watering and Excessive Tearing: Dry Eye

Oddly enough, if you are prone to excessive eye watering or tearing, you might actually have a condition called Dry Eye. Dry Eye occurs when the eyes do not produce sufficient tears or the tears evaporate too quickly. There are two types of Dry Eye:

  • Evaporative Dry Eye, accounting for 86% of all dry eye: caused by blockage to the eyelid glands (meibomian glands) which leads to a shortage of oil on the surface of the tears and quicker-than-normal tear evaporation
  • Aqueous Dry Eye, accounting for 14% of all dry eye: occurs when the lacrimal glands do not produce enough tears
Symptoms of Dry Eye

Tears are necessary to help lubricate, protect and nourish our eyes. Without a steady flow of tears, eye irritation will result.

  • Watering/tearing
  • Itching
  • Stinging
  • Redness
  • Light sensitivity
  • Eye fatigue
  • Blurry vision

Without proper treatment, inadequate tears can make daily activities frustrating, affecting your personal and professional life; activities like reading, watching TV, driving or working on the computer.

Treatment for Dry Eye

For some patients, over-the-counter or prescription eye drops will provide relief for Dry Eye symptoms. However, if these are ineffective you may need to have an eye doctor assess your situation and determine the root cause of your dry eye. Knowing the reason for your dry eye symptoms is the only way to successfully treat this condition. Our dry eye specialists may recommend:

  • Punctal plugs to prevent tear drainage from the eyes
  • RESTASIS® eye drops to increase tear production

 

Now offering LipiFlow treatment for dry eyes.

LipiFlow treats the cause, not just the symptoms.

 

LipiFlow® is a treatment performed in your doctor’s office designed to remove blockages from the Meibomian glands, allowing them to properly function and produce the oils that make up the top protective lipid layer of the tear film. LipiFlow® is supported by more than 30 patents with studies demonstrating its safe and effective results. It is designed to minimize patient discomfort during a 12-minute treatment that gently massages the eyelids.

LipiFlow® Activators are single-use sterile devices that safely and comfortably deliver a combination of heat to the inner lids and simultaneous therapeutic motion to the outer lids, removing blockages from the Meibomian glands. The Activators are contoured to avoid contact with the cornea, protecting the delicate structures of the eye.

Once the gland blockages are removed, the glands can resume normal oil or lipid production. This oil is essential for a healthy tear film, providing stable vision and ocular comfort.

* The only FDA approved device for the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), affecting almost 90% of those who suffer from dry eye disease.

*Offered in our S. Scottsdale location only. Make an appointment to see if you are a candidate for LipiFlow!

If you are suffering from dry eye symptoms, contact us today at 480-994-5012, or click here to schedule an eye exam and learn about your options for relief for DRY EYE.