What is Dry Eye?
Caused by a lack of lubrication of the eye, dry eye can have meaningful impacts on your ability to work and play. Proper lubrication is critical for good vision as well as a healthy and comfortable eye surface.
An eye exam is the first step in a dry eye diagnosis. During this exam, we will place emphasis on your tears- specifically, on the volume and quality of your tears.
There are many therapies available to treat dry eye by either increasing the quantity or quality of your natural tears or by providing lubrication via artificial tears. The therapy that is right for you is dependant on the cause of your dry eyes condition.
Common therapies include artificial tear preparations, lubricant ointments, and mechanisms for partial or total blockage of the drainage of the tear film (called punctal occlusion). More advanced therapies include nutritional supplements as well as both oral and topical medications, such as restasis.
Many conditions do not have treatments that provide immediate results. It is normal to take a few months to significantly improve many of the symptoms. Dry eyes may need to be treated on a daily basis. Therapeutic goals are to control or eliminate the symptoms, maintain and preserve visual acuity, and prevent complications secondary to inflammation and drying out of the ocular surface.
Dr. Louis Espejo is the founder and the clinical director of the Dry eye center of excellence. He has instituted a unique approach to treating dry eye using the latest technologies such as lipiflow, autologous serum eyedrops, tear lab osmolarity testing and punctal plugs.
