Say Goodbye to Dry, Itchy Eyes With Oakland Vision Center Optometry
While we will all likely experience dry, irritated eyes at one point or another chronic dry eye can cause corneal damage. At Oakland Vision Center Optometry, we strive to offer you relief from your symptoms and get to the root of the problem so we can create a treatment plan tailored to your unique needs.
Do you suffer from dry eyes? Book an appointment with us.
Dry Eyes Causes
Dry eyes have two main root causes: poor tear quality and inadequate tear volume.
Our tears are made up of 3 main ingredients: water, mucin, and oil (called meibum). The mucin helps our tears spread evenly across the surface of the eye, while the meibum ensures our tears don’t evaporate too quickly: inadequate mucin or meibum results in poor tear quality.
Tears are produced by several different glands located in and around our eyelids. As we age, many of us will naturally produce fewer tears, but some medical conditions and medications can also hinder tear production.
Even if we are producing enough tears, environmental conditions, such as smoke, dry air, or wind, can cause our tears to evaporate too quickly.
Dry Eye Therapy
To determine if you are suffering from dry eyes, we use the tear break up time test. This test allows us to observe how much time it takes from your last blink to the appearance of the first dry spot in your tear film.
Oakland Vision Center Optometry offers a wide variety of dry eye treatment options to suit your unique needs. These treatments include:
- Prescription Eye Drops: While artificial tears can provide you with relief from your symptoms, medicated eye drops such as Restasis and Xiidra can help address the root cause of your dry eye by stimulating natural tear production and reducing inflammation.
- BlephEx: BlephEx is used to treat blepharitis, which is an inflammation at the base of your eyelashes, resulting in dandruff-like flakes, irritation, and dryness. Meibomian gland dysfunction caused by clogged oil glands in your eyelids can exacerbate blepharitis. BlephEx uses a small, medical grade sponge to gently exfoliate along your eyelid line, removing scurf and debris.
- Punctal Occlusion: If you suffer from severe dry eyes and other forms of treatment are not working, we may suggest punctal occlusion. This involves inserting tiny, biocompatible plugs into your tear ducts. This increases your tear volume by ensuring that your tears are not draining too quickly, and can provide relief from some forms of dry eyes.
We Love Eyes
We Love Eyes is a natural, non-toxic line of oils, eye creams, eye cleansers, and lash care products produced by Dr. Gill that can gently cleanse your eyelids or remove makeup. These gentle products are perfect for individuals who have dry or sensitive eyes.
