DRY EYE SYNDROME

Do your eyes feel dry and irritated?
Do they tear TOO much?
Do they get red often?
Do your contact lenses get uncomfortable by the afternoon?

All of these can be symptoms of dry eye syndrome. This condition results from either insufficient tear production or poor tear quality. Medications are the number one cause of dry eye, followed by advancing age. Some systemic diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can also be accompanied by dry eyes.

Standard advice for dry eye has been to use artificial tears during the day and lubricating ointments at night. When these become a hassle or do not work well enough, we often implant tiny punctal plugs into the tear duct openings in the eyelids to prevent the tears from draining out. This allows the tears to stay in the eyes longer, resulting in quick relief. Dr Jeruss currently uses the Smart Plug™, a revolutionary plug design that conforms to the exact shape of the patient’s tear duct once inserted. Results show much better comfort than with previous plug designs.

Another option is to use a new prescription eye drop called Restasis®, which causes the tear gland to produce more of the eye's own tears. Results have also been positive with this revolutionary medication.

Sometimes, the problem stems from an underlying low grade chronic eyelid infection. In this case, the use of an antibiotic ointment may produce a dramatic improvement in symptoms. In addition, nutritional research has shown that Flax seed oil and Omega-3 fatty acids (either from cold water fish or in supplemental form) are beneficial in combating dry eye.

For contact lens wearers, we have 2 options in addition to the above:

• Switch from a soft to a semi-rigid gas permeable lens. (Most soft lenses act like a sponge and soak up the eyes' already sparse tears.)
• Switch to a better soft lens that doesn't dry out or soak up tears as much.

We CAN help you with this aggravating condition. Call for an appointment.