Dry Eye Therapy | Forest City Optometry

What is Dry Eye?

Dry eye is an increasingly common condition that can affect patients of all ages, genders, and backgrounds.

Beyond discomfort and irritation, dry eye can lead to corneal damage without treatment. We can help. At Forest City Optometry, we can get to the root cause of your symptoms and create a tailored treatment for your eyes.

Find long-lasting relief from dry eye by booking your evaluation with us today!

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Dry Eye Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of dry eye can include:

Redness
Eye fatigue
Blurry vision
Light sensitivity
Difficulty driving at night
Trouble wearing contacts
Scratching/burning sensation

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Take Our Dry Eye Pre-Screening Quiz

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Some Omega-3s are Better

Omega-3s are a great addition to any diet, but some omega-3s are just better than others. Watch this video for a full explanation.

Maintenance Products

Additional at-home treatments may be recommended to manage your symptoms.

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Bruder Masks

Bruder masks use gentle, warming heat to provide relief from dry eyes caused by MGD (meibomian gland dysfunction) and blepharitis. The mask uses heat to melt thickened meibum, improving meibomian gland function and slowing the evaporation rate of your tears.

Omega 3 (PRN)

If you suffer from either chronic or occasional dry eyes, your optometrist may suggest you increase your intake of some nutrients and minerals, such as Omega 3. Omega 3 supplements from PRN (Physician Recommended Nutraceuticals) can be used to improve tear film quality to prevent tears from evaporating too quickly. Research has shown that consuming Omega 3 fatty acids can significantly improve the quality of tears produced.

Hylo Gel

Hylo gel lubricating eye drops can be used to help ensure the surface of your eyes remains hydrated and may be prescribed if your dry eyes are chronic or particularly severe. These eye drops can help you enjoy continued comfort between in-office treatments.

Hylo Dual

Hylo dual eye drops can help safeguard your eyes from excessive tear evaporation. As their name suggests, these eye drops are designed to both stabilize your tear film and provide long-lasting protection against dryness.

Calmo

Calmo eye spray is designed to help stabilize the tear film’s lipid layer, which helps prevent excessive evaporation. Calmo eye spray is made with liposomes, which act like the eye’s natural lipids. The spray is applied to closed eyes, where it mixes with the eye’s natural lipids and prevents tears from running over the lid margin or evaporating too quickly.

Thealoz Duo

Thealoz duo eye drops may be prescribed to patients with moderate to severe dry eye to be used in conjunction with regular in-office treatments. As its name suggests, these eye drops contain two significant ingredients – trehalose and sodium hyaluronate. Trehalose is used to protect the eye’s epithelial cells so they can become more resistant to the everyday stress of dry environments and tear film changes that can cause dry eye. Sodium hyaluronate is used to help your tears retain the water they need to hydrate and lubricate your eye’s surface.

Hyabak

Hyabak eye drops are made with sodium hyaluronate, which is used to lubricate and hydrate your eye’s surface by helping prevent excessive tear evaporation. These eye drops are suitable for almost all dry eye patients, including those with moderate to severe dry eyes. They are designed to reduce or even eliminate symptoms such as dryness or grittiness, providing long-lasting relief between appointments.

Ocunox

Ocunox eye ointment is designed for overnight corneal protection. The cornea is particularly sensitive to drying at night since our eyes don’t typically produce tears while we are sleeping. Ocunox is designed to protect the surface of the eye and improve your tear film, providing long-lasting dry eye relief during the day.

Blephadex

Blephadex produces a variety of at-home dry eye maintenance products, including cleansing eyelid wipes, warming eyelid wipes, and eyelid foam to help you get long-lasting relief from your dry eyes between in-office treatment sessions.

What Causes Dry Eye?

There are 2 primary causes of dry eye: inadequate tear volume and poor tear quality.

The eyes rely on a balanced tear film to stay hydrated and lubricated. Any internal or external factor that causes an imbalance to that tear film can result in dry eye symptoms.

Inadequate Tear Volume

Our bodies produce tears using several different glands located in and around our eyelids. As we age, our eyes aren’t able to produce as many tears as they once did, which can cause dry eyes. Some medical conditions and medications can also impact tear production.

Environmental factors can also cause dry eyes. Even if we can produce enough tears, dry air or windy weather can cause our tears to evaporate too quickly.

Poor Tear Quality

Tears are made up of 3 layers: the water layer, the oil layer, and the mucus layer.

Meibum (the oil layer) is the outer tear layer, forming a thin protective barrier and preventing our tears from evaporating too quickly. Mucin helps our tears spread evenly across the surface of our eyes, protecting our corneas. If our tears evaporate too quickly, or our tears are not uniformly distributed, it can result in dry eyes.

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Clinical Studies

The following clinical studies were referenced on this page.

Services We Offer

We aim to treat you and your family’s eye care needs, whatever they may be. From dry eye therapy, myopia management, emergency eye care, and more, we are equipped to help you.