Dry Eye Treatment

What are Dry Eyes?

Do your eyes burn or feel irritated? Dry eyes occur when tears aren’t able to provide adequate moisture. This lack of moisture usually stems from either decreased tear production or increased tear evaporation. Common symptoms of dry eye include irritation, redness, inflammation, and even sensitivity to light! Dry eye is extremely common, affecting over 17 million people in the United States. Left untreated, chronic dry eye can cause damage to the surface of your eye and your eyesight. If you are suffering from dry eyes, call Brandon Eyes. Our doctors would love to assess the cause of your symptoms and create a treatment plan.

What Causes Dry Eyes?

Decreased tear production is when your eyes are unable to produce enough tears. It can be caused by a number of factors including aging, certain medications, laser eye surgery, and improper contact lens use. Increased tear evaporation is when your tears evaporate at a faster rate than normal. Your tear film is covered with a small layer of oils produced by the meibomian gland. This oil prevents your tears from evaporating, and tears will evaporate faster if the meibomian gland is blocked. Increased evaporation can also be caused by eye allergies, vitamin deficiencies, wind or smoke, and the preservatives used in some over-the-counter eye drops.

Lipiflow Eye Treatment

Brandon Eyes is the first practice in Madison to offer Lipiflow Dry Eye Treatment! Through advances in the application of vectored thermal pulsation technology, Lipiflow treatment utilizes a patented algorithm of heat applied to the inner eyelids, and it massages to remove the obstruction in your Meibomian Glands. It is the only FDA-cleared device for removing gland blockages and restoring gland function. If left untreated, Meibomian Gland Dysfunction causes structural damage and gland loss. Once glands are lost, there is no known way to regenerate them. Learn more about Lipiflow at dryeyeandmgd.com

What Lifestyle Changes Can Help Prevent Dry Eyes?

There are many situations that can exacerbate dry eyes. By making small changes to your lifestyle you can ease these symptoms.

• Avoid air blowing in your eyes. Don't direct hair dryers, car heaters, air conditioners, or fans toward your eyes.

• Use a humidifier to add moisture to dry indoor air.

• Take eye breaks if you're reading or doing another task that requires visual concentration, take periodic eye breaks. Close your eyes for a few minutes or blink repeatedly for a few seconds to help spread your tears evenly over your eyes.

• Position your computer screen below eye level. If your computer screen is above eye level, you'll open your eyes wider to view the screen. Position your computer screen below eye level so that you won't open your eyes as wide. This may help slow the evaporation of your tears between eyes blinks.

• Stop smoking and avoid smoke. If you smoke, ask your doctor for help devising a quit-smoking strategy that's most likely to work for you. If you don't smoke, stay away from people who do. Smoke can worsen dry eyes symptoms.

Use artificial tears regularly. If you have chronic dry eyes, use eyedrops even when your eyes feel fine to keep them well lubricated.