Dry Eye Management
Dry Eye Disease (DED) is a chronic condition caused by reduced tear production or tear instability. It results in discomfort, fluctuating vision, and inflammation of the ocular surface (ocular surface disease).
The tear film consists of 3 layers: a mucin layer, a watery layer (aqueous), and an oily layer. When any of these layers are dysfunctional, the eyes dry out and symptoms of dry eye disease develop.
Symptoms of Dry Eye Disease include eye irritation, stinging, burning, tearing, dryness, itching, fluctuating vision, foreign body sensation, contact lens intolerance, and mucous discharge.
Dry Eye Causes / Contributing Factors: aging, hormonal changes, blink abnormalities, eyelid abnormalities, environment, systemic inflammatory diseases (ex: Sjogren’s Syndrome, autoimmune disease, thyroid dysfunction), rosacea, use of certain medications (diuretics, antihistamines, anticholinergics, antidepressants, systemic retinoids), and surgeries that disrupt the trigeminal nerve (ex: LASIK).
Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD): The most common cause of dry eye is meibomian gland dysfunction (evaporative dry eye). The meibomian glands can become dysfunctional for a number of reasons. We can use infra-red imagines (meibography) to visualize the meibomian glands and determine if they are damaged or dysfunctional.
Treatment of Dry Eye Disease:
Treatment of dry eye involves use of home therapies, prescriptive medications, and in-office procedures. We offer the following in-office treatments for dry eye disease:
- Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL)
- Blepharoexfoliation
- Meibomian Gland Expression