DRY EYE CLINIC
You could have ocular surface disease or “dry eye” if you experience one or more of the following:
- Stinging, burning, or scratchy sensation in eyes
- Stringy mucus in or around eyes
- Increased eye irritation from smoke or wind
- Eye fatigue
- Sensitivity to light
- Eye redness
- A sensation of having something in your eyes
- Difficulty wearing contact lenses
- Periods of excessive tearing
- Blurred vision, often worsening at the end of the day or after focusing for a prolonged period of time
The tear film is structured with three components that work together: a complex oil (lipid) outer layer, a watery (aqueous) layer, and an inner mucus layer. Dry eye is classified by two main causes. Aqueous deficiency dry eye is due to an inability of the lacrimal gland to produce enough of the aqueous layer of tears. Evaporate dry eye is due to a deficiency of lipid layer of tears which causes instability of the tear film and allows tears to evaporate too quickly.
Dry eye disease has become more and more prevalent today. With increasing use of computers, smart phones, and electronic devices, we are blinking much less. Over time, this causes a dysfunction of the meibomian glands, the small glands that secrete essential oils along the eyelid margins. Meibomian gland dysfunction is a chronic and progressive condition that leads to dry eyes.
Here at EyeOptics Optometry Center, we’ve invested in the latest technology for evaluating and treating your dry eye symptoms including:
- TearLab tear osmolarity testing
- Oculus 5M tear break-up-time analysis and meibomian gland imaging with infrared light
- Lipiview tear lipid layer analysis
- Lipiflow meibomian gland treatment
NEW! We are the only office in the Sacramento area to offer Lipiflow, the most effective treatment today for meibomian gland dysfunction. This twelve minute treatment provides heat and gentle pulsations to remove blockages from meibomian glands.