Say Goodbye to Dry Eye With Our Advanced Treatments

Everyone’s eyes get dry from time to time. But, if you find yourself experiencing chronic dry eye symptoms, especially as you get older, your eyes may not be producing tears properly. 

When you blink, your eyelids sweep tears across the surfaces of your eyes. Tears play a vital role in keeping your eyes healthy. Among other things, tears do the following:

• Rinse away debris
• Help eliminate eye infections
• Keep the surfaces clean
• Provide lubrication

If anything affects the tear-production process, this can lead to dry eye syndrome. Luis Omphroy, MD, of Omphroy Eye Care in Aiea, Hawaii, knows how uncomfortable living with this condition can be. In this blog, he explains why this condition can occur and some of the treatment options that are available. 

Causes of dry eye syndrome

In general, dry eye syndrome occurs because not enough tears are produced or because the tears are of poor quality. 

Not enough tears

The main reasons the glands in your eyelids may not produce enough tears is because you're dealing with one of more of the following:

• You have a medical condition, such as rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, or thyroid problems
• You’re over age 50
• You’re dealing with side effects from certain medications
• Environmental conditions are affecting you, such as dry air

Poor tear quality

Three parts make up tears: oil, water, and mucus. Each part is a vital component, and if one of the components is missing or there’s not enough of it, the tears won’t be as effective. For example, the tears may evaporate too quickly, be too moist, or not disperse evenly.

Symptoms of dry eye syndrome

The main symptoms of dry eye syndrome include the following:

• Burning or stinging eyes
• Bloodshot eyes
• Itching eyes
• Watery eyes
• Discharge

While having watery eyes might seem like a puzzling symptom of dry eye syndrome, there’s a reason why this happens. Because the eyes are dry, the eyes try to hydrate themselves. However, the tears are missing the oil and mucus, so the tears aren’t very effective.

How to treat dry eye syndrome

The quickest way to get to the bottom of what’s causing your condition and to get treatment is to meet with us at Omphroy Eye Care. However, there are some things you can do at home until you’re able to see us.

At-home treatments

If you have dry eye syndrome, here are some things you can do at home:

• Talk with your doctor to see if medications you’re taking could be the cause
• Use over-the-counter ointments, drops, or gels to help retain moisture
• Avoid smoke
• Wear sunglasses 
• Use a warm, damp compress to soothe your eyes
• Massage your eyes lightly to help encourage tear production
• Wear glasses instead of contacts to ease discomfort
• Use an eyelid cleaner
• Limit your screen time, as staring at a screen can cause you to blink less, which can trigger dry eye symptoms

Medical treatments

If your dry eye symptoms don’t respond to at-home treatments, Dr. Omphroy offers a variety of medical treatments that may help.

Dr. Omphroy may prescribe eye drops or ointments, which are much stronger than over-the-counter options. These prescription products can help reduce inflammation and improve tear production.

If drops or ointments don’t provide relief, Dr. Omphroy might suggest undergoing a minimally invasive procedure. One option involves closing or blocking your natural tear ducts, so your tears can stay in your eyes longer. Dr. Omphroy may also recommend intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy or amniotic membrane grafts.

If you live with dry eye syndrome, you don’t have to any longer. Dr. Omphroy can give you a thorough evaluation and design a treatment plan to give you relief. To learn more, book an appointment over the phone with Omphroy Eye Care today.