Dry Eye Syndrome
Dry Eye Syndrome (DES) is a very common ocular condition. It is more prevalent as we get older and is more common in woman than in men. DES is generally a diagnosis of a few simple tests on your tears and a compilation of your ocular history.
Dry eyes can be debilitating to its sufferers. Some of the symptoms are as follows:
- A constant or frequent gritty, sandy feeling in your eyes
- Red, weepy eyes, especially in the whites of the eyes around the cornea
- A swollen, irritated cornea (the clear tissue through which light enters your eyes)
- A mild to moderate distortion which your glasses cannot make clear
- Permanent damage or scarring of the outer corneal tissue
- Many contact lens wearer develop DES, especially those who sleep in their contacts.
Treatment for Dry Eye Syndrome
There are four basic treatments for DES:
1 - Environmental and Lifestyle Changes: We lose a lot of our tears through evaporation.
Adding a humidifier to your home / office can be a big help. Adding fish oil as a source
of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids can also help dry eye sufferers. Contact
lens wearers should stop sleeping in their lenses and wear glasses at least two hours
everyday.
2 -
Replacement Eyedrops (artificial tears): We recommend Systane Ultra. It is an OTC
tear replacement which seems to work well for many patients.
3 -
Restasis: This is a prescription eye drop used twice a day. It actually affects the
composition of the tears. We have used this on many patients with great success.
For more information go to the
Restasis Website 4 -
Punctal Plugs: These are tiny collagen plugss which are inserted into your tear ducts.
Many patients prefer these because they don't have to put drops in their eyes everyday.
We normally plug the inferior lids only. Often your medical insurance will cover this
procedure. If you choose this option we will insert temporary plugs for 30 days.
Instilling Eye Drops Punctal Plugs
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