Dry Eye Diagnosis & Treatment
Herndon, VA
While dry eye isn’t always a serious condition, it can have a major impact on your quality of life. You may find your eyes get tired faster or you have difficulty reading, not to mention the discomfort of a burning sensation or blurry vision. At Beyond Eyecare, Dr. Khaldieh can determine the underlying cause of your dry eyes and recommend treatment—from simple self-care to innovative prescriptions and therapies—to help you see clearly and comfortably.
What is dry eye?
Understanding dry eye will help you determine the best treatment option. Dry eye occurs when a person doesn’t have enough quality tears to lubricate and nourish the eye. Tears reduce eye infections, wash away foreign matter, and keep the eye’s surface smooth and clear. People with dry eyes either do not produce enough tears or their tears are of poor quality. It’s a common and often chronic problem, especially in older adults.
Preventive self-care
Dr. Khaldieh will assess your condition, recommend appropriate treatments, and provide personalized guidance on how to effectively manage and relieve dry eye symptoms. Here are a few simple self-care options that can help manage minor cases of dry eye:
- Blink regularly when reading or staring at a computer screen for a long time.
- Make sure there’s adequate humidity in the air at work and home.
- Wear sunglasses outside to reduce sun and wind exposure. Wraparound glasses are best.
- Take supplements with essential fatty acids as these may decrease dry eye symptoms. We sell omega-3 supplements, which have been shown to reduce eye inflammation and improve overall tear quality for dry eye sufferers.
- Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water each day to avoid dehydration.
- Find out if any of your prescriptions cause dry eye as a side effect and if so, see if you can take an alternative.
- Lid scrubs, such as those from Oasis (available at our office), are gentle cleansers designed to remove debris and excess oil from the eyelids. This helps maintain clean and healthy eyelids, which is crucial for managing dry eye symptoms.
Artificial tears
For mild cases of dry eyes, the best option is over-the-counter eye drops. Here are a few tips for selecting the right one:
- Low viscosity – These artificial tears are watery. They often provide quick relief with little or no blurring of your vision, but their effect can be brief, and sometimes you must use these drops frequently to get adequate relief.
- High viscosity – These are more gel-like and provide longer-lasting lubrication. However, these drops can cause significant blurring of your vision for several minutes. For this reason, it is recommended to use high-viscosity artificial tears at bedtime.
Diagnosing dry eye
If you want to find lasting relief from your dry eye, you may need to consult a professional. At Beyond Eyecare, Dr. Khaldieh will perform a thorough examination to diagnose the underlying cause of your dry eyes. This may include measuring tear production, assessing tear film stability, and evaluating the health of your eyelids and cornea. We may also use meibography to check the health of your meibomian glands.
Prescription dry eye treatments in Herndon
There are several prescriptions that treat dry eye differently. Dr. Khaldieh can recommend the best option for your situation.
Contact lenses
There are contact lenses that deliver moisture to the surface of the eye. They’re called scleral lenses or bandage lenses.
Antibiotics
If your eyelids are inflamed, this can prevent oil glands from secreting oil into your tears. Your doctor may recommend antibiotics to reduce inflammation.
Anti-inflammatory drugs
These are eye drops to control inflammation on the surface of your eyes (cornea) using the immune-suppressing medication cyclosporine (Restasis) or corticosteroids.
Eye inserts
If artificial tears don’t help, another option may be a tiny eye insert. Once a day, you place the hydroxypropyl cellulose (Lacrisert) insert between your lower eyelid and eyeball. It dissolves slowly, releasing a substance to lubricate your eye.
Tear-stimulating drugs
Available as pills, gel, or eye drops, cholinergic (pilocarpine, cevimeline), these help to increase tear production.
Autologous blood serum drops
For serious dry eye that’s not responding to other treatments, these eye drops are made with a sample of your blood. It’s processed to remove the red blood cells and then mixed with a salt solution.
Dry eye procedures
In mild cases of dry eye, traditional treatments such as artificial tears can help manage symptoms. However, for some patients, these treatments may not provide long-lasting relief. In these situations, Dr. Khaldieh will want to thoroughly examine your eyes to determine the best treatment for your unique needs. He may suggest in-office procedures such as:
Punctal plugs
Tear ducts can be plugged with tiny silicone plugs to reduce tear loss. By partially or completely closing your tear ducts, it can keep your tears from leaving your eyes too quickly.
Amniotic membrane therapy
This innovative treatment involves placing a piece of amniotic membrane over the surface of the eye to help treat dry eye by repairing damage to the eye. You can think of them as bandages for your eyes.
Schedule a dry eye exam in Herndon
You don’t have to suffer from the symptoms of dry eye. Talk to our optometrist about dry eye treatment options designed to address the underlying cause of your condition. Schedule an appointment online or contact our office today to book a dry eye exam in Herndon.