If your eyes are constantly itchy or dry, you may have dry eye syndrome, which affects many millions of Americans. Dry eye syndrome is caused by a lack of, or poor quality of, tears. Tears lubricate the outer layer of the eye called the cornea. If the tears are not adequate or are not composed of a proper balance of mucous, water, and oil, the eye becomes irritated. One of contributing factors to dry eye syndrome is meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) defined as blockage or other abnormality of the meibomian glands, tiny oil glands which line the margin of the eyelids. The normal tears are made up of three layers – a lipid layer, a watery or aqueous layer, and a mucous layer. MGD can cause the death of meibomian glands which would permanently affect the quality of the tear film and tear break up time.
Dry eye syndrome leads to a number of symptoms, including itchiness, irritation, burning, excessive tearing, redness, blurred vision that improves with blinking, and discomfort after long periods of watching television, using a computer, or reading.
There are many factors that can contribute to dry eye syndrome. These include dry, hot, or windy climates; high altitudes; air-conditioned rooms; and cigarette smoke. Contact lens wearers, people with abnormally dry skin, and the elderly are more likely to develop dry eye syndrome. You may also be more at risk if you take certain medications, have a thyroid condition, a vitamin-A deficiency, Parkinson’s or Sjorgen’s disease, or if you are a woman going through menopause.
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Dry Eye Rescue is our online store for all of our dry eye products and they ship to you. Use code CVEC10 at check out for 10% off your entire order.
Dr Anderson's Favorite Products:
Optilight by Lumenis is a treatment for dry eye that uses intense pulse light (IPL) to target inflammation below the skin. Reducing the inflammation and clearing out clogged glands resulting in long term relief in those suffering from Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. IPL can also be used to Alleviate abnormal blood vessels and reduce inflammatory processes, reduce the Demodex mites and bacterial load, and restore tear film and gland morphology. The IPL can also be used to treat Age and liver spots, Uneven skin texture, Hyperpigmentation, vascular lesions, and Rosacea. The Optilight is a series of 4 treatments spaced 2-4 weeks apart with a maintenance session 1-2 times a year as needed.
The TearCare® System is intended for the application of localized heat therapy in adult patients with evaporative dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), when used in conjunction with manual expression of the meibomian glands.
Forma-I by InMode is a new, non-surgical treatment for dry eye that uses radiofrequency energy to open clogged meibomian glands, soften oils in the glands, improve oil flow and tear production, resulting in the elimination or reduction of dry eye symptoms. It is a safe and effective treatment that can help you get relief from dry eye and improve your vision. Forma-I is a series of 4 treatments spaced 4-6 weeks apart.
Contact Information:
Natalie Anderson
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ClearVue EyeCare
9270 Wicker Ave, Ste A
St. John, IN 46373
Phone: (219) 365-1227
In order to determine if you have dry eye and the best way to treat it we have several different tests that we perform during our dry eye examination.
When the eye is damaged or exposed to environmental stress it can activate an inflammatory response on the ocular surface of the eye. Inflammadry is an in-office test that detects the level of the protein MMP-9 in your tears. Having elevated levels of MMP-9 indicates that there is inflammation on the ocular surface.
The TearLab takes a sample from each eye and measures the osmolarity of your tears. If your tears have a high osmolarity, or salt content, it means that they are not properly lubricating your eyes. As the osmolarity in your tears increases the more they damage your ocular surface.
A meibography is an image of the morphology, or internal structure, of the meibomian glands. This test allows the doctor to see the Meibomian glands to determine if you have Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, and the severity of it.
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The American Optometric Association has recommendations for how often adults need to get their eyes examined and those recommendations vary according to the level of risk you have for eye disease.
