Don’t Push Through Dry Eye Symptoms
If your eyes are often gritty, scratchy, or irritated, you might be experiencing dry eye syndrome. Dry eye is a multi-factorial disease that affects the health of your tear film, causing uncomfortable symptoms.
Dry eye syndrome can cause more than discomfort. Over time, an imbalance in your tear film can lead to damage to the surface of your eye. It is accompanied by increased osmolarity (concentration of salts) in the tear film and inflammation of the eyes and eyelids.
Dry eye is extremely prevalent and affects thousands of Houston residents every year, but we can help. If you suspect you have dry eye, book a dry eye consultation with us today.
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Symptoms of Dry Eye
Dry eye symptoms may vary depending on their cause, but generally include some of the following. These symptoms typically occur in both eyes.
- Stinging or burning sensation
- Gritty or scratchy feelings
- Red eyes
- Excessive tearing/watery eyes
- Feeling like something is in your eye
- Blurry vision
- Light sensitivity
- Stringy mucus in or around your eyes
- Discomfort wearing contact lenses
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, book an eye exam with us for a diagnostic consultation. Diagnosing the cause of your discomfort is the first step to relief.
What Causes Dry Eye?
Dry eye syndrome is caused by chronic irritation to the ocular surface, or the surface of your eyes. There are a number of possible causes, as well as environmental factors that can contribute to your discomfort.
In general, dry eye occurs when there is an imbalance in your tear film. In some cases, people don’t produce enough tears to keep their eyes moist. However, in the majority of cases, the tear film is lacking a sufficient oil layer to prevent tears from evaporating too quickly. This causes dry eye symptoms.
Causes Include:
- Eyelid disease, such as blepharitis
- Systemic diseases, such as lupus, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjögren’s Syndrome, and thyroid disease
- Aging and hormonal changes, including menopause
- Certain medications (both prescription and over-the-counter), including chemotherapy and radiation treatments
- Eye surgeries, including LASIK
- Dehydration, or poor diet and water intake
Environmental and Other Factors:
- Air conditioning/heating systems and ceiling fans
- Cigarette smoke
- Dry/low-humidity environments, including airline travel
- Improper contact lens use, fit, and contact lens solutions
- Computer/digital device use
Environmental and other contributing factors can exacerbate existing dry eye symptoms, but don’t typically cause dry eye themselves.
How We Diagnose Dry Eye
We complete a comprehensive eye exam to screen for the presence, severity, and root cause of your dry eye symptoms. This includes a Standardized Patient Evaluation of Eye Dryness (SPEED) questionnaire to report your symptoms, as well as diagnostic imaging and testing.
The most common cause of dry eye is chronic meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), which accounts for more than 85% of dry eye cases. The meibomian glands are tiny, oil-producing glands that line the eyelids. They are responsible for the oil layer of your tear film that protects tears from rapid evaporation.
We use LipiScan, a high-definition imaging technology that allows us to view the health of your meibomian glands accurately, quickly, and painlessly. Additionally, we will check your tear break-up time, which checks how long your tear film completely covers your eye after a complete blink. We also use the Schirmer’s Test to see if your eye is producing a normal amount of tears.
Our Specialty Dry Eye Treatments
While there is no cure for dry eye, there are many treatments available that can successfully provide long-term relief. After your assessment, Dr. Aamena Kazmi, our dry eye specialist, will design a unique treatment plan based on your symptoms, severity, and the root cause of your condition.
Your treatment plan may include energy-based treatments and other in-office treatments, along with lubricating drops, gels, or ointments; daily eyelid hygiene; blink exercises; and environmental adjustments. We may also recommend trying scleral contact lenses, which can provide greater comfort and relief to those with dry eye.
We use energy-based treatments such as low-level light therapy (LLLT), intense pulsed light therapy (IPL), and radiofrequency therapy (RF) to help provide long-term relief to people with MGD.
Each energy-based treatment uses a unique method to clear the meibomian glands of any oil blockages and restore their function.
LLLT uses low levels of LED light to gently warm your skin, reduce inflammation, and promote healing. RF uses energy waves to penetrate deeper layers of your skin. It helps to melt oil blockages in the meibomian glands and stimulates collagen production from healthy blinking. Learn more about IPL treatments below.
Beyond our energy-based treatments, we also offer a variety of in-office treatments to assist with dry eye symptoms.
- BlephEx: Gently cleanses and exfoliates your eyelids and lashes to remove debris and bacteria that contribute to blepharitis and dry eye
- LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System: Applies heat and pressure to clear the meibomian glands of any obstructions. Treatment takes 12 minutes, is safe, and FDA-approved.
- Punctal plugs: Tiny devices, about the size of a grain of rice, that are inserted into your tear duct to prevent tears from draining too quickly.
- Prokera/Amniotic membrane: A corneal bandage with anti-inflammatory effects designed to help speed up your eyes’ healing abilities for severe dry eye.
- Meibomian gland expression: Gently, manual expression of your meibomian glands by an optometrist to clear blockages. It can also be used after an energy-based treatment.
Take-home treatments may be recommended for patients with mild symptoms or in addition to in-office treatments to find quick relief. Our take-home treatments include:
- Prescription eye drops: Medicated eye drops formulated to address the root cause of your symptoms, such as inflammation, rather than just lubricate the eye temporarily.
- Eyelid sprays: Sprays and cleansers to remove debris, bacteria, and demodex, which can contribute to blepharitis and dry eye.
- Eye masks: Gentle eye masks with heat and moisture to relieve your symptoms, increase blood flow, and give your eyes a break.
- Omega-3 supplements: Specifically formulated for eye health, these omega-3 supplements can support your eyes’ natural oil production.
In addition to following your treatment plan, there are some modifications you can make on your own to improve your eyes’ comfort.
- Avoid sitting near fans or below overhead vents. Both heating and cooling systems can blow dry air that can aggravate your symptoms.
- Take screen breaks. Be cognizant of the time spent online and plan breaks from your digital device to give your eyes relief. Practice the 20-20-20 rule, and look away every 20 minutes to focus on something 20 feet away.
- Remember to blink. Often during screen time, we forget to blink as frequently as we need to. Make a conscious effort to interrupt your focus and blink more while using screens.
- Wear sunglasses regularly. Wearing sunglasses when you’re outdoors can help protect your eyes from the wind and harmful UV rays.
IPL for Dry Eye
We use the Lumecca IPL device by InMode for our dry eye treatments. IPL, or intense pulsed light therapy, helps interrupt the cycle of inflammation and irritation caused by MGD, blepharitis, and ocular rosacea.
IPL uses light energy to target inflammation and improve blood circulation around the eyes. This helps to restore the overall function of your meibomian glands. IPL can also help treat recurring styes and stubborn chalazia (oil blockages) on your eyelids.
During your treatment session, we’ll provide your eyes with special shields that sit lightly on the surface of your eye. Then, we’ll apply light energy to the skin around your eyes, where you have inflammation or chalazia.
IPL treatments take a few weeks to reach their full effect. We will work with you to determine how many treatments you need and how frequently you’ll come in for them.
Find Relief from Dry Eye Today
The first step to finding relief for dry eye syndrome is booking an appointment with our doctors for an evaluation. Dry eye is a chronic condition, and typically progresses, possibly causing damage to the surface of your eye over time.
If you’re experiencing uncomfortable, irritated eyes, book a comprehensive eye exam or dry eye consultation with us. We’ll help you get to the root of the problem and find relief.
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Where to Park
We’re located at 5001 Bissonnet Street, between South Rice and North 3rd Avenues.
Free parking is available in the lot below the building.
Our Address
- 5001 Bissonnet St #107
- Bellaire, TX 77401
Contact Information
- Phone: 713-664-8087
- Email: appointments@bfeye.com
Hours of Operation
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