Dry Eyes Minnetonka | Dry Eye Golden Valley

What is Dry Eye?

Dry Eye is an eye condition that affects millions of people around the world, and is oftentimes painful. Dry Eye Syndrome is a disorder of the eye’s tear film that causes decreased tear and moisture production.

Your eyes may not be producing enough tears, or they may not be producing high-quality tears. Patients with Dry Eye Syndrome often report blurry vision and irritated eyes. Dry Eye Syndrome should be diagnosed and treated correctly to avoid long-term damage to sight.

Finding the most effective treatment depends on the right diagnosis of what is causing the problem. The good news is that most people can get relief from their discomfort. There are numerous treatments to relieve dry eyes once your eye doctor has determined the underlying causes. The Dry Eye specialists at Northwest Eye have created a Dry Eye and Blepharitis Center to provide patients with the tools, time, and treatment to properly diagnose and relieve their Dry Eye symptoms.

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How Do Tears Work?

Be Eye Wise: Knowing how the tear film system works will help you understand what causes Dry Eye. When you blink, a film of tears spread over the eye, making the surface of the eye smooth and clear. The tear film is essential to good vision.

The tear film has three layers that cover and protect the eye:

The outer oily (lipid) layer reduces evaporation and prevents the liquid layer from draining too quickly. This is produced by the meibomian glands.
The middle watery (aqueous) layer nourishes and cleanses the eye.
The inner (mucin) layer spreads the watery layer over the entire eye and keeps it moist.

Chart Showing the 3 Layers of the Tear Film in the Eye and Comparing a Normal Eye to One Experiencing Dry Eye

What Causes Dry Eye?

Dry eye is due to insufficient moisture on your eyes resulting from inadequate quality or quantity of tears. If the eyes are not lubricated enough, either by low quantity or poor quality tears, they feel uncomfortable and irritated.

Excessive screen time from working at home or attending online classes is causing Dry Eye symptoms for thousands of people who have never had problems before!

Not Enough Tears

Although Dry Eye affects people of all ages, tear production decreases typically due to the aging process. There are several reasons for this, including:

Aging and menopause
Side effects of medications such as antihistamines, decongestants, beta-blockers, diuretics, birth control, hormone replacement therapy, and antidepressants
Rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome and other autoimmune disorders; thyroid disease and Vitamin A deficiency
A side effect of LASIK or other laser eye procedures

Tear Film Evaporation

Exposure to windy, smoky, or dry environments
Not blinking enough when concentrating on computers, TV, and smartphone screens
Eyelid problems that cause the lids to turn out (ectropion) or in (entropion)

Poor Quality Tears

Sometimes there are enough tears, but the tear quality (chemical composition) does not keep the eyes moist. The most common imbalance occurs when tears don’t have enough oil composition due to blocked oil glands near the eyelashes’ base. Several conditions can cause this:

Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
Blepharitis (inflammation of the eyelids)
Rosacea and other skin disorders

Dry Eye FAQs

Stinging or burning sensation
Scratchy feeling
Blurry vision
Red eyes
Difficulty driving at night
Discomfort when wearing contact lenses
Mucous buildup around the eyes
Excessive tearing

Excessive tearing may seem like a strange symptom for Dry Eyes, but it is a prevalent symptom. Eye irritation from inadequate lubrication causes the lacrimal gland to release a large volume of tears.

These excess tears sometimes overwhelm the tear drainage system and overflow from your eye, causing your eyes to be overly watery.

If your dry eyes are increasingly uncomfortable, don’t waste time and money trying multiple over-the-counter solutions. The only way to properly diagnose and treat Dry Eye is with careful testing.

The eye specialists at the Northwest Eye Dry Eye and Blepharitis Center will perform a thorough evaluation, including special tests that can assess the volume and quality of tears. These include:

LipiView® – captures live images of the tear film and measures lipid content and quality. The test quantifies the lipid to help determine the best treatment.
Tear Osmolarity – measures the ratio of salt to water in tear composition.
RPS InflammaDry – measures the level of MMP-9 in your tears to determine levels of inflammation present.
Meibomian Gland Evaluation – to see if oil glands are blocked and preventing secretions

Dry Eye disease is such a prevalent problem in today’s modern society that new treatments are being developed all the time. Your Northwest Eye specialists keep up with the latest research and take pride in offering new treatment options as they become available.

LipiFlow®: LipiFlow is a clinical procedure that opens and clears blocked glands allowing the body to resume the natural production of oils (lipids) needed for the tear film.
BlephEx®: This is a gentle in-office procedure that cleans the eyelids using a medical-grade sponge and alleviates both blepharitis and Dry Eye symptoms.
Artificial Tears: Lubricant eye drops are used to treat the dryness and irritation associated with deficient tear production.
Restasis®: Restasis is a prescription eye drop that reduces inflammation and increases your eye’s natural ability to produce tears.
Pred Healon: A steroid eyedrop used to alleviate inflammation.
Punctal plugs/Cautery: Punctal plugs are small medical devices inserted into the tear duct (punctal) of an eye to block the duct. This prevents the drainage of natural tears from the eye. Thermal cautery may be used to secure the tear duct permanently.
ALPO: The use of an argon laser to achieve tear duct (punctal) closure.
Topical Steroids: An anti-inflammatory eye drop therapy.
Eye compression masks: Moist heat compress that relieves dry eyes.
Vitamins: Omega-3 fatty acids (especially DHA and EPA) may help decrease symptoms or irritation that Dry Eye causes. Foods such as salmon, tuna, flaxseed, chia seeds, soy, and nuts are rich in omega-3 fatty acids.