Dry Eye Disease affects more than 40 millions Americans.
Dry Eye relief is in sight!
At West Michigan Eyecare, we know that managing Dry Eye is an important part of protecting your vision. Symptoms, causes and treatments for Dry Eye will differ for everyone, and we focus on personalized treatment plans.
What is Dry Eye?
Dry Eye is a common disease affecting vision quality and eye comfort. Symptoms of Dry Eye can vary widely from patient to patient. People with Dry Eye may experience one or more of the following symptoms:
- Dry, gritty, or itchy sensation
- Stinging
- Irritation
- Light sensitivity
- Visual fluctuations
- Watery Eyes
At our clinic, we use a number of different technologies to determine whether you may be experiencing Dry Eye and to better understand your symptoms. Dry Eye is a serious condition that can dramatically affect your vision and your eye health.
What causes Dry Eye?
Dry eye can be influenced by a number of factors related to environment and health that determine tear quality.
Tears have 3 layers:
- Lipid (Oil) Layer
- Aqueous (Water) Layer
- Mucus Layer
If there’s an imbalance in these layers, your vision and comfort of your eyes may be affected. Poor tear quality is often caused by Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), a condition that impacts the production of oils in your tears. The most common form of MGD is obstruction of the oil producing glands in the eyelids. At West Michigan Eyecare, we will test your tear quality to determine whether MGD is contributing to or causing your dry eye symptoms and create a customized treatment plan to address it.
The TearCare System in-office treatment.
How do we treat Dry Eye?
Each case of Dry Eye is unique. We consider the factors causing your dry eye as well as your tear quality to develop a customized treatment plan.
Management considerations for Dry Eye include
- In-office obstruction removal with medial devices like the TearCare System
- OTC Artificial tears/lubricant eye drops
- Prescription eye drops for Dry Eye (such as Restasis, Xiidra, Cequa etc.)
- Prescription anti-inflammatory eye drops
- Punctal plugs (temporary or non-dissolving)
- Supplemental wellness products (nutritional supplements, eye masks, or specialty eyelid cleansers)
The OCULUS Keratograph is used to evaluate tear quality, eye redness and Meibomian gland structure and function.
With technology like our Oculus Keratograph, we are able to image and evaluate your tears and gland function. If the TearCare® System treatment is appropriate for you, your provider will recommend a return visit to complete the procedure. TearCare is a new type of treatment for MGD. The TearCare® System uses the application of localized heat therapy in adult patients with evaporative dry eye disease due to MGD, and is used in conjunction with professional manual expression of the Meibomian glands.
Go beyond symptom relief and treat the underlying cause of your dry eye. To learn more about MGD and the TearCare® System, visit https://tearcare.com
If you have any questions about dry eye symptoms or management, please contact us today at (616) 949-8500 or schedule your next appointment online.