Many patients experience dry eye symptoms. Dry eye symptoms vary in degree of severity from mildly bothersome to severely impacting vision. It can occur throughout the day or intermittently in certain situations like during contact lens wear or computer use or in dry environments like in an air-conditioned room or on an airplane. Determining the cause of dry eyes is necessary before the correct treatment can be provided. The accurate diagnosis and management of dry eye requires special tests that go beyond a basic eye exam. Scheduling a Dry Eye Evaluation will specifically test and treat patients based on their dry eye etiology.
Common signs and symptoms of dry eyes include:
- A burning, scratchy, itchy, stinging, or gritty sensation
- Intermittent or constant blurry vision
- Red eyes
- Foreign body sensation
- Tired eyes
- Excessive tearing, discharge, or stringy mucus in or around your eyes
- Increased light sensitivity
- Increased use of eye drops
- Eyes feeling dry
- Contact-lens intolerance
Symptoms can be worse at the end of each day and over the counter artificial tears may only provide temporary or minimal relief. Prolonged computer use and increased screen time has also exacerbated symptoms of both dry eyes and digital eye fatigue.
Lamorinda is an amazing place to live in, but it does have a high number of allergens that can cause dry, itchy eyes. Environmental allergens can cause an increase in inflammation on the ocular surface resulting in red, itchy, and swollen eyes. Dry eyes and ocular allergies can exacerbate each other and increase inflammation which make symptoms worse. Properly identifying whether you are suffering from allergies or dry eyes will help determine the best treatment for your eyes.
Dry eye treatment is more than just using over the counter artificial tears. Our tear film is made up of 3 layers: mucin, water, and lipids. Each component is essential in keeping a healthy tear film and ensuring the most crisp vision. The mucin layer helps the water adhere to the front surface of our eyes, the water portion of the tears keep our eyes moist, and the lipid layer produces essential oils to coat our tears and prevent it from evaporating as fast. During our dry eye evaluation our optometrists will evaluate each of these components along with taking a thorough personal history to determine the potential cause of the dry eyes. Using objective tests, we can identify the cause of your dry eyes and initiate a treatment plan to relieve your symptoms and manage the dryness.
Don’t suffer from dry eyes any longer. Please feel free to give us a call today to schedule your comprehensive dry eye evaluation appointment. Appointments typically last 45 minutes for a full evaluation.