January 2018 Fight Dry Eyes this Winter

Dry eye is a condition where the eyes do not produce enough tears or produce a poor quality of tear. Your eyes depend on tears to provide moisture and lubrication for vision and comfort. The natural tears that the eyes produce are composed of three layers:

1. Outer oily layer
2. Middle watery layer
3. Inner mucus layer

When your tears don’t deliver a proper balance of proteins, oils and water, a person may experience dry eyes, pain, itchiness, redness, and light sensitivity.

If you consistently suffer from dry eyes, there are a number of things we can do to help -including artificial teardrops, medications, ointments, punctual occlusion, or a more permanent occlusion procedure. There are now two prescription medications called Restasis and Xiidra for dry eye treatment if artificial tears do not work.

It is important to know that not all artificial teardrops are created equal. Some drops will only lubricate the outer oily layer and others might only treat the outer layer and the middle watery layer or all three layers of tears. Your optometrist can prescribe the right artificial teardrops to treat the type, frequency and severity of your dry eye symptoms.

There is no reason to continue suffering from a dry eye condition. If you are experiencing dry eyes, pain, itchiness, redness, and light sensitivity, give us a call we can help!