What Is Dry Eye?

While dry eye isn’t a serious condition, it can have a major impact on your quality of life. You may find your eyes get tired faster or you have difficulty reading. Not to mention the discomfort of a burning sensation or blurry vision. Let’s take a look at dry eye treatments – from simple self-care to innovative prescriptions and therapies – to help you see clearly and comfortably.


What is Dry Eye?

Understanding dry eye will help you determine the best treatment option. Dry eye occurs when a person doesn't have enough quality tears to lubricate and nourish the eye. Tears reduce eye infections, wash away foreign matter, and keep the eye’s surface smooth and clear. People with dry eyes either do not produce enough tears or their tears are poor quality. It’s a common and often chronic problem, especially in older adults.

What are common symptoms?

  • A burning or scratchy sensation in your eyes

  • Stringy mucus in or around your eyes

  • Irritated or overly-watery eyes

  • Sensitivity to light or photophobia

  • Eye redness, blurred vision, or eye fatigue

  • A sensation of having something in your eyes

  • Difficulty wearing contact lenses

dry eye

What Are The 2 Types Of Dry Eye Disease?

Evaporative Dry Eye (EDE)

EDE is the most common type of dry eye disease. This type of dry eye occurs when you lack the proper amount of oil in your tears. When this happens, your tears can evaporate too quickly, drying out your eyes.

  • In some cases, EDE can be caused by meibomian gland dysfunction, a disorder where the meibomian glands in your eyes become blocked, limiting the amount of oil being produced for your tears.

  • One of our treatment options for Evaporative Dry Eye is The iLUX® Device. This device is used to heat and compress glands in the eyelids of adult patients with this specific type of dry eye. Potential side effects may include eyelid/eye pain requiring stopping the treatment procedure, eyelid/eye irritation or inflammation, temporary reddening of the skin, and other eye symptoms (burning, stinging, tearing, itching, discharge, redness, feeling like there is something in the eye, changes in your vision, sensitivity to light).


Aqueous Tear Deficiency (ATD)
If you suffer from ATD, your eyes lack the aqueous layer in your tears. This means that your eyes aren’t producing enough tears to keep the eye moist, which can lead to irritating and uncomfortable symptoms.

There are quite a few different treatment options available to help combat this type of Dry Eye.

  • Punctal Plugs – Tear ducts can be plugged with tiny silicone plugs to reduce tear loss. By partially or completely closing your tear ducts, it can keep your tears from leaving your eye too quickly.

  • Artificial Eye Drops (both OTC and prescription)

  • Anti-inflammatory drugs – These are eye drops to control inflammation on the surface of your eyes (cornea) using the immune-suppressing medication cyclosporine (Restasis) or corticosteroids.

  • Prokera - A revolutionary device used for treating eye conditions like severe dry eye and corneal damage. It consists of a therapeutic amniotic membrane that is placed on the eye's surface to promote healing, reduce inflammation, and restore ocular health.