Dry Eye in Dallas, TX
Let’s talk dry eye. You know; that nitty-gritty annoyance that has you rubbing your irritated, burning eyes. Sound familiar? If it does, you’re not alone. Dry eye is more common today than ever before.
Millions of Americans suffer from dry eye.
Dallas is no exception to this spike in dry eye. Regular windy conditions sprinkled with bouts of dry weather make North Texas a dry eye target. But there’s more than just climate to consider when it comes to dry eye. Let’s learn more.
What causes dry eye?
While your dry eye symptoms could be related to allergies or environment, most experts agree that doing near work on smartphones and computers—such as emailing, texting, viewing, working or gaming—can be blamed for much of the increase in dry eye symptoms in recent years. And with an ever-increasing reliance on electronic screens, the condition is expected to continue to rise.
All of the above interferes with the quality and quantity of tears a person makes. Not enough quality blinks means not enough natural tears, which can lead to dry eye symptoms.
But, just because dry eye is common doesn’t mean you have to live with it! Carter Eye Center can help with dry eye treatment for our Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex patients..
Meibomian Gland Dysfunction in our Dallas-Fort Worth patients is the root cause of chronic dry eye.
There are up to 40 meibomian glands in the upper eyelid and 30 in the lower eyelid. These glands secrete oils onto the surface of the eye, which help keep tears from evaporating too quickly. MGD is a blockage of those glands so that they don’t secrete enough oil into the tears. As a result, tears evaporate too quickly.
What are the symptoms of dry eye?
Dry eye symptoms can include:
- Irritation
- Redness
- Burning sensation
- Gritty sensation
- Soreness
- Blurriness
- Sensitivity to light
Oddly enough, dry eye can also cause excessive tearing. Why? When tears evaporate too quickly, the tear ducts try to compensate by producing more tears.
How is dry eye treated?
In a dry eye evaluation at Carter Eye Center, Dr. Carter will perform diagnostic testing, which includes ocular allergy testing to evaluate your unique ocular surface condition and discover the source of your dry eye symptoms. This is an important diagnostic step because chronic dry eye symptoms are similar to those caused by allergies and even some infections. Thorough testing, including TearLab® to fully examine your ocular surface, will help us determine the best course of treatment for you.
There are a variety of of dry eye treatment options at our Dallas-Fort Worth clinic, ranging from eye drops to specially designed contact lenses and more. The severity and root cause of your dry eye will determine which treatment is right for you.
iLUX®
The iLUX® Device is used to warm and compress glands in the eyelids of adult patients with a specific type of dry eye, called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), also known as evaporative dry eye.
The iLUX® Device was shown to significantly reduce dry eye symptoms such as gritty eyes and irritation. In a clinical study, patients’ meibomian gland scores were three times better at two weeks post-treatment and four times better at four weeks.
Once treatment begins, it takes approximately 8-12 minutes for both eyes.
- Your medical professional assesses your eyelids to determine the treatment zones
- Your eyelid is held between the soft, biocompatible pads of the iLUX® device Smart Tip Patient Interface. For comfort, you may keep your eyes closed.
- Therapeutic, light-based heat will begin to warm the blocked glands to a safe temperature to help soften and release the oil. The meibum melts and your doctor has the ability to apply additional heat or pressure depending on your needs.
- Through compression, the oil is expressed from the glands and treatment is complete.
TearCare®
Carter Eye Center is proud to offer TearCare, a revolutionary new blink-assisted device that applies targeted thermal energy (heat) to the eyelids for the treatment of chronic dry eye. Performed in-office, TearCare testing and treatment are comfortable, customizable and fast, taking only about 20 minutes in total. In the testing phase, tear osmolarity is measured to determine the composition of your tears. During your treatment, your eyes must remain closed.
Other treatments for dry eye include:
- Prescription therapeutic drops to treat inflammatory dry eye
- HydroEye Vitamins to help promote healthy meibomian glands and improve tear production
- Punctal plugs to increase the tear film on the ocular surface and keeps the cornea lubricated
- Amniotic membrane treatments are used for their anti-inflammatory and anti-scarring properties for moderate to severe dry eye. Amniotic membrane can help efficiently restore the corneal epithelium.
Are you ready to say goodbye to dry eye?
Schedule your dry eye consultation today, and get ready to say goodbye to Texas dry eye with dry eye treatment from our Dallas-Fort Worth professionals..
