Dry Eye - a new way to treat

What is dry eye?

With every blink, our eye releases a complex layer of tears which helps keep the eye moist, maintain clear vision and protect the eye. Dry eye is a complex syndrome in which the tear layer is no longer able to keep the eye moist. This can occur due to a reduction in tear production or due to an increase evaporation of the tears.

What causes dry eye can vary greatly from person to person. The most common causes include:

• Age
• Certain medications
• Certain medical conditions
• Laser surgery
• Windy, smoky or dry environments
• Prolonged use of digital devices
• Eyelid disease

Symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include:

• Stinging or burning feeling
• Sandy or gritty feeling
• Watery eyes
• Red eyes
• Intermittent blurry vision

Our dry eye clinic

Traditionally, dry eye was diagnosed by taking a history, and observing the eye and tear layer. While useful, these tests do not accurately assess all the aspects of dry eye. Our dry eye clinic uses the latest infra red and digital assessment systems to look deeper into the eye, assessing the various parts of the eye that produce tears.  he assessment includes:

• History to identify external factors, medications and general health issues that may cause the dry eye
  
• Assessment of the external eye, lids, tear ducts and glands
• Assessment of the tear layer, tear river, and tear production
• Tailored treatment plan specific to your needs

Treatment options

How we treat the eye depends on the underlying cause. While lubrication drops are the most commonly used treatment, they may not necessarily be the best treatment for you. Some of the most commonly used treatments include:

• Lubricating drops to replace tears
  
• Drops or sprays to decrease tear evaporation
• Heat therapy to improve oil production
• Lid therapy to treat disease
• Anti inflammatory eye drops to reduce inflammation
• Eye masks and eye protection
• Dry eye supplements
• IPL: intense pulsated light

IPL: Intense pulsated light

IPL is a new way to treat dry eye. Using a specially designed pulsating light, the IPL improves the health and function of the the oil producing meibomian glands in the eyelids. Typically this treatment requires three or four treatments with regular follow up appointments. Our optometrist will determine as part of their dry eye assessment whether this treatment is appropriate for you. The following video explains the IPL treatment.