Dry Eye Treatment
Dry eyes or dry eye syndrome (DES) is an ongoing condition that treatments may be unable to cure. But the symptoms of dry eye—including dryness, scratchiness, and burning—can usually be successfully managed.
Untreated dry eye syndrome cause symptoms of itching, scratchiness, and burning. If you are tired of sore eyes and can’t enjoy contact lenses because your eyes are too dry, it’s time to visit. Optometry at Redwood Shores. we’ll help bring you relief from the irritation and discomfort caused by Dry Eye Syndrome (DES).
Ask Our Dry Eye Specialists in Redwood City About The Best Treatment For You
While there is no absolute cure for dry eyes, our optometrist near Belmont, CA can offer many different treatments that will help you manage this eye condition. Our experienced eye doctors, Dr. Mann and Dr. Ratinoff, will evaluate your eyes to determine the cause of your Dry Eye Syndrome. When it comes to the dry eye, there is no treatment that fits all, every case is unique, and we have to identify the cause, in order to find the best way to manage your condition successfully.
What Can I Do to Reduce Dry Eye?
There are many things you can do to increase the natural lubrication in your eyes. Here are just a few of the self-help treatment you should try.
- Use a humidifier for extra moisture in your home or office. It will slow the evaporation of your tears.
- A purifying air filter may also be helpful, as it will rid your home of irritants in the air.
- Wear sunglasses while outdoors. Sunglasses not only protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, but they also protect your eyes from drying wind or dust. Wraparound frames offer maximum coverage and protection.
- Take fish oil supplements.
- Drink extra water to keep your body well hydrated.
Additional Treatments
Your optometrist near Belmont, CA may recommend artificial tears, which are lubricating eye drops that may alleviate the dry, scratching feeling and foreign body sensation of dry eye. Prescription eye drops for dry eye go one step further: they help increase your tear production.
Check with our optometrist before buying any over-the-counter eye drops. Our eye doctor near Belmont, CA will know which formulas are effective and long-lasting and which are not, as well as which eye drops will work with your contact lenses.
For more severe cases of dry eye, your Belmont eye doctor may recommend punctal plugs. These tiny devices are inserted in ducts in your lids to slow the drainage of tears away from your eyes, thereby keeping your eyes more moist.
Our Eye Doctor Near Belmont Will Help You Find The Real Cause Of Your Dry Eye
Medications
If medications are the cause of dry eyes, discontinuing the drug generally resolves the problem. But in this case, the benefits of the drug must be weighed against the side effect of dry eyes. Sometimes switching to a different type of medication alleviates the dry eye symptoms while keeping the needed treatment. In any case, never switch or discontinue your medications without consulting with your doctor first.
Eye Diseases
Treating any underlying eyelid disease, such as blepharitis, helps as well. This may call for antibiotic or steroid drops, plus frequent eyelid scrubs with an antibacterial shampoo.
LASIK
If you are considering LASIK, be aware that dry eyes may disqualify you for the surgery, at least until your dry eye condition is successfully treated. Dry eyes increase your risk for poor healing after LASIK, so most surgeons will want to treat the dry eyes first, to ensure a good LASIK outcome. This goes for other types of vision correction surgery, as well.
Learn more about the advanced technology used by our optometrists at Optometry at Redwood Shores.