Dry Eye Disease

While this is the most common eye condition we come across, symptoms can vary in both description and severity. These may include

• Gritty

• Itchy

• Sore

• Stingy or Burning

• Red eyes

• Tired

• Watery eyes

• Variable vision

• Glare sensitivity

There are two types of dry eye but it is possible for a patient to have both;

• Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye where the lacrimal gland fails to produce enough basal tear layer

• Evaporative Dry Eye or Meibomian Gland Dysfunction

Risk factors and causes for Dry Eye include

• Age

• Female gender, menopause or hormone imbalance

• General health conditions; Rheumatoid arthritis, thyroid disease, Sjogren’s, Rosacea

• Medication; antihistamines, antidepressants, oral contraceptives, Parkinson’s medications and some blood pressure medications

• Environment; dry, dusty or windy climate, air-conditioning or heat-pumps, contact lens wear and device use

Blepharitis

Commonly associated with dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction, blepharitis means inflammation of the eyelid margins. This may be associated with infestation of micro-organisms such as staphylococcal bacteria or the Demodex mite which lives in the eyelash follicle.

The inflammation of the lids promotes blockage of the meibomian glands with their oily secretions becoming thickened- providing an ideal environment for pathogens to grow. This leads to the vicious cycle of inflammatory dry eye disease.

What can we do to help?

If you have trouble with dry or watery eyes, the first step is to visit us for a comprehensive assessment.

We will ask a series of questions regarding your symptoms and thoroughly assess your lids, tear film, cornea and conjunctiva to establish a diagnosis.

Once both you and we know what we are dealing with we can create a plan to help.

Treatments we offer

• Blephadex in office treatment for blepharitis

• Blephasteam heat treatment for meibomian gland dysfunction

• Meibomian gland expression

• OptiLight IPL for meibomian gland dysfunction, dry eye and ocular rosacea.

• Punctal Plugs are tiny devices that are placed in the entry to the eye's tear ducts (called puncta). This helps to retain the tears within the eye for longer helping to relieve dry eye.

Meibomian Cysts

Also known as chalazia, meibomian cysts usually result from meibomian gland dysfunction. A chalazia is the development of a painful lump on the upper or lower lid.

Treatment options include oral antibiotic, anti-inflammatory medication or IPL ( intense pulsed light treatment).. In some cases if the cyst does not resolve surgery may be required.

If you find you are developing repeated cysts it is a sign your dry eye or meibomian gland dysfunction requires better management

Allergic Eye Disease

Although cataracts develop without pain or discomfort, indications of cataract development may include blurred or hazy vision, increased sensitivity to glare or the feeling of having a film over the eyes.

If the cataract develops to the point that it affects your daily life and spectacles and contact lenses no longer help, you will be referred to an eye surgeon who may recommend surgery to remove the natural lens and replace this with a new plastic lens.

Watery Eye

As mentioned above, watery eyes may be a sign of dry eye! This occurs as your eyes response to the dryness and insufficient tear layer. Unfortunately watery tears alone are not enough to ease the problem with symptoms persisting until the dry eye is improved.

On the other hand, watery eyes may also occur due to a blockage in the lacrimal ( tear) duct system. In a normal functioning eye, as you blink, your tears are pumped down a small entrance hole in the inner corner of both upper and lower lids; the tears are then pumped into the nasal cavity. If this system is blocked, your tears will simply flow over the top of your lids and down your cheeks! Depending on the location and extent of the blockage a simple procedure called lacrimal lavage may be helpful, in more extensive cases, surgery would be required.

The other common cause of watery eye is a drooping of the lower lid, once again allowing the tears to roll down the cheeks instead of down the lacrimal duct! This requires surgical correction.