Dry Eye Treatment in Sacramento, California
Dry eye occurs when you don't produce enough tears or if you produce poor-quality tears. Our eye care professionals can help.
What is Dry Eye Syndrome?
Dry Eye Syndrome, referred to as DES, is a chronic eye condition that occurs when the eyes produce an insufficient amount of tears or when the tears lack the essential balance of elements to lubricate the eye’s surface. A well-lubricated eye blocks foreign bodies or substances from irritating the eye’s surface.
Our doctors treat patients from all over Sacramento, helping them achieve long-lasting relief from dry eye syndrome.
What Causes Dry Eye?
Dry eye can result due to a number of factors, including genetics, environment, the natural aging process, or prescription medications, to name a few. Dry eye syndrome is most often caused by a condition called meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), a blockage of the tiny oil-secreting glands that line the upper and lower eyelids. Other conditions that may cause DES include blepharitis, diabetes, Sjogren’s syndrome, thyroid disease and certain autoimmune disorders.
Hormonal changes are another common cause of dry eye. In fact, women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking oral contraceptives, or experiencing menopause tend to experience the uncomfortable symptoms that accompany dry eye syndrome. Women over the age of 50 have double the risk of developing DES than men of the same age.
Where you live also plays a role. Dry, windy climates that strip the eyes of their natural moisture, and indoor heating systems can cause tears to evaporate prematurely. If you suffer from seasonal allergies, you also may experience dry eyes along with your other symptoms.
Common Dry Eye Symptoms
Patients with DES experience a number of symptoms that can disrupt their daily activities or cause chronic pain.
The most common signs of DES include the following:
- Blurriness
- Burning
- Dryness
- Feeling as if something is in your eye
- Irritation
- Itchy eyes
- Pain
- Red eyes
- Stinging
- Watery eyes
Those who suffer from DES often try to alleviate the pain by blinking either less or more often, rubbing their eyes, or by using over-the-counter artificial tears.
Why is blinking important? Blinking naturally moisturizes the eyes and gets rid of tiny particles that may enter the eye. Reduced blinking can increase dryness, itching, or redness, making DES symptoms even more acute.
Rubbing your eyes, especially when they’re already irritated, can intensify your symptoms. This is because the added pressure can make the pain worse. Moreover, if your hands aren’t 100% clean, you can unintentionally spread germs or bacteria into your eyes when you rub them. Rubbing the eyes can also cause tiny blood vessels to break, increasing the redness of your eyes.
Artificial tears provide temporary relief by lubricating the eyes with a specific solution. These can be quite effective at alleviating soreness and itchiness, however, excessive use isn’t recommended. Many brands include preservatives, which aren’t good for your health in the long term. Other preservative-free brands can, over time, fail to relieve the basic dry eye symptoms. Patients may find that having to continuously purchase artificial tears can become costly, and consistently using them throughout the day disrupts their daily activities.
Dry Eye Treatments
DES is typically treated with medicated eye drops, anti-inflammatory drops, or a heated compress. Occasionally, the eye doctor may recommend punctal plugs.
These are tiny devices that when inserted into the eye’s tear duct, block any drainage. This can alleviate DES symptoms by preventing moisture from draining out of the eye, ensuring that they stay inside the tear duct area. This increases the moisture level and provides longer-term relief.
Moreover, punctal plugs are not permanent and can be easily removed or replaced, making them a simple, affordable solution to alleviate symptoms.
Dry Eye Technology
Advancements in medical technology and scientific breakthroughs have made treatment for dry eye easier, offering quicker results and longer-lasting benefits. Some of the latest technologies for DES treatment include LipiFlow.
Visions Optometry has some of the most cutting-edge and advanced technologies to quickly and effectively test for Dry Eye Syndrome. Let and the talented, experienced staff help get you started on the path to real long-term relief from dry eye.
LipiScan®
LipiScan®, from Johnson & Johnson Vision, enables your eye care specialist to view the health of your meibomian glands with optimum accuracy. This diagnostic tool has changed the way medicine diagnoses dry eye syndrome. With efficiency and versatility, LipiScan is a small and lightweight device with a comfortable patient experience. Quick and painless, the procedure takes about one minute to image both lower eyelids.
Your eye doctor will use LipiScan to assess the structure of your meibomian glands. With dynamic surface illumination and adaptive transillumination technologies, the device creates a fast and intuitive image of your glands. LipiScan generates a multidimensional view that is clear and easy for your optometrist to analyze.
LipiFlow®
LipiFlow®, by Johnson & Johnson Vision, is a Thermal Pulsation System that improves the function of meibomian glands. FDA-approved, safe and totally drug-free, it consists of a console and a single-use sterile Activator tool. Through gentle massage and heat, LipiFlow can enhance the quality of meibomian gland secretions. Eye doctors around the world are equipping their eye care clinics with this breakthrough technology to treat dry eye.
The LipiFlow system takes detailed images of the tear film, helping the eye doctor determine whether you have MGD. Then, a combination of gentle heat and light pressure is applied on both the inside and outside of the eyelid, removing the blockage and stimulating your eye’s natural moisture. The procedure takes around 12 minutes to administer and is done at the practice.
TearCare®
The TearCare® System is intended for the application of localized heat therapy in adult patients with evaporative dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), when used in conjunction with manual expression of the meibomian glands.
SmartLids™
- Universal fit
- Precise, consistent & intelligent heat
- Natural blink design
SmartHub™
- Sensor-driven feedback designed to deliver safe and consistent heat
Portable