Dry Eye Treatment

Find relief from dry, itchy, irritated eyes.

Dry eyes affect millions of people in the United States. It is estimated that as many as 4.88 million Americans over the age of 50 suffer from this uncomfortable condition. 

What are the common symptoms of dry eye?

Everyone experiences dry eye differently because there are so many potential underlying causes.

Typical symptoms include:

• Redness or eyes that appear irritated and bloodshot
• Consistent burning or tingling sensations in the eyes
• Eyes that feel itchy or as if they have something in them
• Increased sensitivity to bright lights or sunlight
• Excessive tearing, or eyes that always appear watery

What causes dry eye?

There are many potential causes of dry eye.

In some cases, the cause is obvious, such as environmental irritants or short-term inflammation.

Some of the other causes of chronic dry eye problems include:

• Disease of the meibomian glands
• Blepharitis
• Allergies
• Defects that affect the eyelid or shape of the eye
• Certain medications
• Abnormal eye pressure
• Deficiency of aqueous fluids

Because the underlying causes vary, treatment methods after diagnosis will also vary according to the patient. It is also not uncommon for there to be more than one cause for dry eye.

How is dry eye diagnosed and treated?

Dry Eye Evaluation

For your initial Dry Eye Evaluation, our doctors utilize specialized technology and testing to get the best view and assistance into diagnosing your specific dry eye conditions. The Keratograph 5M is used to get up to 14 high-definition scans on each eye, and the doctor will get a close-up view and assessment of your eyes and tear glands in the room. Using these results, the doctor will be able to determine the best possible treatment plan for you including but not limited to supplements, topical treatments, and/or light and laser therapies.

Patients requiring a Dry Eye consultation will be referred to the O'Fallon office for an initial dry eye evaluation.

Dry Eye Treatment Options

Low Level Light Therapy - LLLT

Developed by NASA, LLLT has proven effective at treating dry eye disease. LLLT uses specially designed LED lights to gently warm up the eyelids, causing the meibomian glands to unclog and release oils needed to keep eyes healthy, moisturized, and comfortable.

It’s quick and painless! Simply lay back with the mask on and relax as the warm light clears your glands.

LLLT may also help decrease the appearance of facial wrinkles, acne, and rosacea.

• Safe, non-invasive procedure
• 15 minutes per session
• No recovery time needed
• No side effects or discomfort

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy - IPL

IPL uses gentle pulses of light to treat the underlying causes of dry eye. It’s a painless procedure done in an optometrist’s office. IPL targets the skin around the eyes, reducing inflammation and any bacterial growth in the area around your eyes. The light helps break the buildup of oil or other debris blocking the meibomian glands that produce oil for tears.

IPL treatments help to treat meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). MGD is a common cause of dry eye that can become a chronic, cyclical condition. Inflammation is a root cause of MGD, and its presence causes the eyes to create compromised tear film, which leads to more inflammation.

Several treatments for MGD exist, but none, including IPL treatment, are completely curative. This means that you’ll likely need repeated treatments with IPL to continue symptom improvement.

Patients with the following conditions should not be treated:

• Pregnancy
• Epilepsy
• Pacemakers
• Undergoing any cancer treatment therapies
• Recurring migraines
• Patients with microblading/permanent eyeliner/facial tattoos should NOT receive the IPL treatment, but can proceed with LLLT.

If taking medications such as photo-sensitizing drugs, anti-inflammatories, anticoagulants, antibiotics, and antihistamines, please notify your doctor.

TearCare Therapy

The TearCare® System is a treatment for Meibomian Gland Disease (MGD), the leading cause of Dry Eye Disease. It's a personalized, in-office procedure designed to target the underlying cause of your dry eye. After 15 minutes of precisely targeted heat, the previously stagnant oils will be softened so that your eye care professional can clean them from your eyelids using a special pair of forceps.

Dry eyes are not only uncomfortable — they can also be bad for the health of your eyes. Find relief at Advanced Vision Care today.