What Is Dry Eye Disease?

Dry eye disease is common, affecting millions of Americans every year. This condition is generally caused by a lack of tears or poor quality tears that evaporate too quickly.

Dry eyes are irritating and uncomfortable and come with symptoms like:

Blurred vision
Stinging or burning eyes
Sensitivity to light
Red eyes
A feeling like something’s in the eye

Many factors can lead to dry eyes, like age, medications, hormonal changes, and medical problems like arthritis or diabetes. Those who have undergone laser eye surgery may also experience dry eyes, although this is usually a temporary side effect of the procedure.

We offer comprehensive dry eye diagnostics and therapies at Brilliant Eyecare. Call us today to find relief.

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Detecting & Diagnosing Dry Eyes

Your tear film plays an important role in maintaining your eye health. It’s made of 3 essential layers: a mucus layer, a watery layer, and an oily layer. If these layers are out of balance, you can develop dry eyes.

We use a digital tear film assessment to gain a complete picture of your tear film and measure:

The volume of your tears using a Schirmer test
Your tear quality using a test to measure your tear breakup time

We may use meibography to assess your meibomian glands. These tiny glands in your eyelids are responsible for creating the oily layer of your tears. If they become blocked, your tears may evaporate quicker than normal, leading to dry eye symptoms.

Using meibography, we can check if these glands are blocked. If they are, we can apply heat or gentle pressure to help remove the obstructions.

Fight Dry Eye at Home

Mild cases of dry eyes can be treated by making some adjustments at home:

Use a humidifier to lessen the impact of dry air
Take breaks from anything that requires intense focus, like reading, driving, computer use
Avoid dry environments with excessive smoke or wind
Avoid sitting close to fans or air conditioners
Wear sunglasses when outdoors to protect your eyes from environmental factors and UV rays

Though these suggestions can help mitigate dry eye symptoms, we’d love to take a look at your eyes to determine the root cause of your symptoms and find a treatment that works best for you.

Our Dry Eye Treatments

If lifestyle adjustments don’t help improve your dry eye symptoms, please call us to book a comprehensive dry eye exam. It’s always best to see an eye care professional for eye discomfort so you can undergo effective treatments and find long-term relief.

At Brilliant Eyecare, we can provide you with prescription eye drops specially formulated to treat the root cause of dry eyes.

Xiidra®

Xiidra® is a medicated eye drop that targets inflammation that causes dry eyes. When used twice daily, Xiidra has been shown to reduce inflammation and relieve painful dry eye symptoms.

Restasis®

Restasis® is a prescription eye drop that aims to increase the eye’s natural tear production and reduce inflammation. Patients reported seeing an improvement in their dry eyes after 6 months of use.

Call us at Brilliant Eyecare today to schedule an appointment for dry eye therapy. We’re looking forward to helping you find relief!

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