Over 60 million Americans suffer from dry eye symptoms. One of the most common causes of eye dryness is the normal aging process. Dry eye symptoms also can be triggered by environmental factors including low humidity environments (such as airplanes, deserts, high altitudes, and windy climates), indoor heating and air conditioning, and exposure to cigarette smoke. Poor blinking habits coupled with prolonged computer use or reading can result in pain and irritation in eyes.

Dry Eye FAQ

What is Dry Eye?

Tears bathe the eye, washing out dust and debris and keeping the eye moist. They also contain enzymes that neutralize the microorganisms that colonize the eye. Tears are essential for good eye health. In dry eye syndrome, the eye doesn't produce enough tears, or the tears have a chemical composition that causes them to evaporate too quickly.

Do You Suffer From Dry Eyes?

If you do you are not alone. We treat so many patients with dry eye syndrome, and the numbers are increasing each year. There are literally hundreds of reasons why one can develop dry eyes. Some are environmental, pharmacological, others may be contact lens related. Regardless of the reason, we can help alleviate your symptoms.

How do I know I have dry eyes?

Persistent dryness, scratching and burning in your eyes are signs of dry eye syndrome. These symptoms alone may be enough for us to diagnose dry eye syndrome. Sometimes we may want to measure the amount of tears in your eyes. A thin strip of filter paper placed at the edge of the eye, called a Schirmer test, is one way of measuring this. Some people also experience a "foreign body sensation," the feeling that something is in the eye. And it may seem odd, but sometimes watery eyes can result from dry eye syndrome, because the excessive dryness works to overstimulate production of the watery component of your eye's tears.

What causes dry eyes?

Allergies can exacerbate dry eyes, and vice versa. A dry eye workup should be considered for each patient who presents with allergic symptoms. Contact lens patients who experience dryness, irritation, or maybe just a lack of clarity can be due to dry eyes. Medications such as birth control pills , hormone replacement therapy, steroids, antidepressants and allergy medications can significantly decrease the quality of a patients tear film. Many different types of medical conditions can cause or worsen dry eye conditions. These include diabetes, thyroid disease and arthritis to name a few. >What can be done to help?

What can be done to help?

Several exciting new options have emerged in the past few years to not only help people with dry eyes, but help our patients stay in their contact lenses for years, even though the have dry eye issues. Here are some of the treatments:

- Specific eye drops to increase the amount of aqueous tears on the eye. Most of these are over the counter.

- Many new pharmaceutical companies have been developing new drugs to help improve the quality/quantity of the tear film. Our office has prescribed these exciting new options to our patients over the past two years.

- Over the past year, we have been asking many of our patients to start taking 1000 mg of Omega 3 fish oil pills orally daily. Omega 3's have been shown to significantly improve the tear film. However, it takes a good 6-8 weeks to notice an impovement. Please be patient, as the will help.

- Punctal Plugs have been an awesome addition to our dry eye arsenal. By decreasing the amount of tears leaving the ocular surface, the patient immediately notices significant improvement in both comfort and a decrease in redness. Although there are several different types of punctal plugs available, they all produce the same results.

What can I do?

Call us at (508) 339-3952 to schedule an appointment. If during your eye exam we determine that you are having dry eye related symptoms, we will schedule a dry eye workup. At that appointment, we will develop a plan to alleviate your dry eye symptoms. Whether you are a contact lens wearer or not, if you are experiencing dry eye problems, call today.

To learn more, please contact us or complete the information request form on our home page.