Dry Eye Treatment

Your Dry Eye Treatment Destination

Experiencing dry eye and its symptoms can be irritating and uncomfortable as you go about your day. Crystal Vision Clinic is here with a variety of dry eye treatments to help soothe your eyes and provide relief.

Dry eye is a common condition, with about 20 million people in the US being diagnosed. Our practice provides dry eye screenings during all of our comprehensive eye exams, and by using our diagnostic technology, such as the Keratograph 5M, we are able to accurately assess our patients for dry eye and start a personalized treatment plan.

Book an eye exam today for a dry eye screening.

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Understanding Dry Eye

Dry eye often occurs when there are not enough tears present to properly lubricate your eye’s surface or your tears are lacking essential natural oils produced by your meibomian glands.

Your tear film has 3 main layers: oil, water, and mucus. Dry eye can develop if there are problems with any layer of your tears, such as when the oily layer of your eye is not strong enough to stop your tears from evaporating too quickly.

Dry Eye Symptoms

Dry eye can cause many different symptoms and they may be different for each person. Some of the common symptoms of dry eye include:

Redness
Stinging or burning sensations
Watery eyes

Stringy mucus near your eye
Blurry vision

If you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms, reach out to our office for an appointment to get examined for dry eye.

Our Dry Eye Diagnostic Technology & Tests

When we test your eyes for dry eye disease, we use modern technological devices and techniques in order to get an accurate dry eye diagnosis. We can use a combination of those technologies or each test can be done individually depending on your dry eye case. Each assessment is tailored to your dry eye needs.

Oculus Keratograph 5M

The Oculus Keratograph 5M is a corneal topographer that measures corneal curvature but can also measure and examine your meibomian glands, tear breakup time, tear volume, and the lipid layer of your eye. We use the Keratograph 5M for automated tear breakup time measurement and meibography.

Schrimer’s Test

Schrimer’s test is a dry eye assessment that uses a strip of paper to evaluate tear production. Your tears are allowed to roll down a testing strip and a measurement is taken based on where your tears end.

You will sit with your eyes closed for about 5 minutes while your tears are collected. A score of 10 mm of tears or greater is considered an optimal result.

InflammaDry

InflammaDry is a rapid test based on analyzing levels of MMP-9, an inflammatory marker for dry eye disease. This marker is consistent in the tears of those with dry eye and can be another indicator of dry eye disease.

Our Dry Eye Treatments

Dry eye treatments can help relieve your symptoms and restore moisture to the surface of your eyes. Depending on the severity of your dry eye and your preferences, we may recommend different treatments to help you experience relief.

Our team is more than happy to answer any questions you may have about your symptoms and the different treatments we offer.

Patient education is a big part of what we do here at Crystal Vision Clinic, and we want to help you understand and find long-term relief from your dry eye symptoms.

Punctal Plugs

Punctal plugs are tiny plugs placed in your tear ducts to temporarily stop your eyes from draining their tears. For those with dry eyes, punctal plugs can help keep the surface of your eyes moist by helping tears build up.

There are 2 types of punctal plugs: temporary, where the plugs break down on their own, and semi-permanent, where the plugs need to be removed by a doctor.

Medicated Drops

There are many types and brands of medicated eye drops and artificial tears, and they can come in liquid or gel form. Depending on the severity of your dry eye symptoms, there may be a type of drop just for you.

Preservative-free drops are best to use throughout the day and gels can be a bit thicker, so you may want to use those at night.

Meibomian Gland Expression

Meibomian gland expression can be a helpful treatment for those with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). MGD is a condition that can cause your meibomian gland, which produces oils for the eye, to become clogged and unable to produce the proper amount of oil. MGD is a common cause of dry eye.

Meibomian gland expression can be done to help unclog meibomian glands and get oil flowing again. Meibomian gland expression can be either diagnostic or therapeutic. Diagnostic expressions are done to understand the severity of MGD and therapeutic expression is used to relieve dry eye symptoms.

BlephEx & Eyelid Cleaning

Dry eye can sometimes come with flaky or dry eyelids due to increased bacteria. This condition is called blepharitis and may require eyelid cleaning to remove flakiness and bacteria from your eyelid’s surface.

BlephEx is a device that uses motion to clean the surface of your eyelids and remove debris. The treatment is done in-office. Other treatment options for eyelid cleaning include medicated eyelid sprays and wipes that can be used at home.

Omega-3 Supplements

Omega-3 supplements can be beneficial for those with dry eyes, as they may help improve meibomian gland function and relieve dry eye symptoms. Omega-3 fatty acids are also essential for brain function and are available in foods such as fish, nuts, plant oils, and fortified foods.

Let Us Help Relieve Your Dry Eye

We are here to help our patients affected by dry eye experience relief. Our team will work with you to find the solutions that suit your needs and lifestyle.

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