Chronic Dry Eye Syndrome is more than just dry eyes.

About Dry Eye (DED)

DED is the most prevalent eye disease in the United States

• About 40 million suffers in the U.S.
• Both men and women, young and old are affected
• $3.9 billion is spent annually on treatment
• Affects more than 15% of Americans, Affects 32% of individuals over 50
• Only about 5% of those suffering from dry eye have been diagnosed and treated
• On the rise with the use of digital devices
• Of all contact lens wearers, about 20 million may be affected

Many people, whether they are aware of it or not, suffer from dry eyes. DED is one of the most common yet most under diagnosed conditions affecting the health of the eye. We are learning now that the complex nature of dry eye can begin as young as six (6) years old and continues to worsen throughout a patient’s life.

A recent study noted that severe dry eye patients’ time trade off and quality of life scores were similar to those of patients affected by chronic angina (chest pain) and patients on dialysis. This illustrates just how debilitating severe DED can be.

Our Step Ladder Treatment Approach

Like other chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, dry eye may affect your eye and eyelids long before you experience noticeable symptoms. It is important to detect and diagnose DED early so that Bear Creek Eye Care can start managing this chronic condition to preserve your eye health, vision and prevent chronic eye pain.

As a Dry Eye Clinic, our doctors pursue continued training and education so we can offer the best care to our patients. Treatment is customized and often multi- faceted, incorporating various clinical therapies as well as at-home care.

Our Dry Eye Clinic approach to treatment is individualized and personalized to you and your treatment needs, budget and end goals.

Lubricants

The simplest and most common treatment for dry eye is the use of artificial tears or lubricating agents to supplement your own natural tear production. We make very specific recommendations of artificial tears based on the results of your dry eye tests, and we offer all of the best products at our office.

• Oasis Tears: Over-the-counter tear drops. Artificial tears are preservative free in single use vials. Depending on symptoms, drops may need to be used more frequently. Some people need to put drops in every hour, and some need eyedrops only once a day.
• Retaine PM Ointment: Over-the-counter gels and ointments. These are thicker lubricants that come in a tube, mainly to be applied right before going to sleep. They moisturize the eyes overnight and may be helpful for someone waking up with eye discomfort.
• Serum Tears: For severe cases of DES unresponsive to artificial tears or medications, a patient’s own blood can be drawn to be used as a natural eye drop. A centrifuge, under sterile technique, is used to separate the red and white blood cells from the fluid in the blood. The fluid, or serum, is extracted and mixed with saline to create a 20% Serum tear solution. Serum contains proteins, oils, growth factors, anti-inflammatory agents, and other over-the-counter tear drops.

Medications

Antibiotics. Antibiotics can decrease the amount of bacteria on the surface of the eye, can open up the pores of tear glands, and can help reduce eye inflammation. These are available in drop, ointment, and pill forms.

Anti-inflammatory Agents. These can be used to control eye irritation and inflammation from chronic DED. Steroid and non-steroidal drops can be used to treat acute symptoms of redness and burning. Topical cyclosporine (Restasis) can be used on a long-term basis, including in patients with autoimmune conditions or after LASIK, to promote increased tear production by glands on the surface of the eye. Xiidra can provide relief by proving increased tear production.

Lacrisert. For patients with severe dry eyes, a tiny insert (hydroxypropyl cellulose) the size of a grain of rice can be placed between your lower eyelid and the eyeball. The insert dissolves during the day, slowly releasing a lubricant onto the surface of the eye.

Environmental Concerns

If you experience dry eyes, pay attention to the situations that are most likely to cause your symptoms. Then find ways to avoid those situations in order to prevent your dry eyes symptoms. For instance:

Avoid air blowing in your eyes. Don’t direct hair dryers, car heaters, air conditioners or fans toward your eyes.

Wear glasses on windy days and goggles while swimming. The wraparound style of glasses may help reduce the effects of the wind. Goggles protect your eyes from chemicals in pool water that can dry your eyes.

Add moisture to the air. In winter, a humidifier can add moisture to dry indoor air.

Consider eyeglass shields to protect your eyes. Safety shields can be added to the tops and sides of eyeglasses to block wind and dry air from getting to your eyes. Ask us about shield’s when purchasing your glasses with us!

Take eye breaks during long tasks. If you’re reading or doing another task that requires visual concentration, take periodic eye breaks. Close your eyes or blink repeatedly for a few seconds to help spread your tears evenly over your eye. Look at a far away distance, or stand up and walk around.

Change the position of your computer screen to below eye level. If your computer screen is above eye level, you’ll open your eyes wider to view the screen. Position your computer screen below eye level. This may help slow the evaporation of your tears between eye blinks.

Quit smoking. Ask your primary health care for help devising a quit-smoking strategy that’s most likely to work for you.

Bear Creek Eye Care Dry Eye Treatment Center

• iLux: Treats MGD (Meibomian Gland Disease), MGD causes an unstable tear film. The tear film that coats our eye is complicated and if the tear film becomes unstable or has poor quality, the surface of the eye will then start to become inflamed. In which the eyes become red, irritated, and dry. This instrument allows us to express the blocked meibum leaving the eyes feeling relieved.
• Tranquileyes: Beaded Eye Mask to relieve dry eye symptoms. This mask is designed to optimize the natural functions that keep our eyes moist and comfortable. The use of Tranquileyes® provides a treatment that is great for relieving dry eye all day.
• Lipiflow®. (same solution as iLux, but more expensive treatment) It is a 15 minute system combines visual imaging to diagnose a patient’s dry eye syndrome with a treatment which applies painless heat and compression to unclog the Meibomian glands. LipiView is the digital imaging component that allows Doctors at Bear Creek Eye Care to measure the lipid layer of your tear film. Until the development of LipiView, our Doctors did not have a way to visually show that patients were lipid deficient. LipiView only takes a few minutes to evaluate your eyes. You will simply look into a camera and blink normally. A special light, camera, and computer program do everything else. Then Dr. Wilson will be able to determine the best therapy.
• BlephX: The most advanced Blepharitis treatment. Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelids and tear glands of the lids in which they become diseased, red, irritated and itchy. This instrument removes scuff and debris while exfoliating the eyelids. BlephX allows us to clean the eyelids by spinning a medical grade micro-sponge along the edge of your eyelids and lashes. Maintaining good eyelid hygiene can help control blepharitis.
• Closure of the Tear Orficies with Punctal Plugs. Normally tears drain through a canal in the inner corner of each eyelid into the sinuses and nose. Tiny silicone or collagen plugs or surgical cautery can be used to block the tear drain, allowing the tears to remain in contact with the eyes longer. Plug insertion is an easy, reversible procedure that can be performed in the examination room and is usually covered by medical insurance.
• Bandage Contact Lens. If the eye is too dry, a soft, clear bandage contact lens can be applied to protect the surface of the eye. Similarly, eye goggles can be worn at night time.
• TrueTearTM: Dry eye symptoms may be improved by increasing the amount of tears produced. Which is what this product is designed to accomplish: Using the TrueTear® device will temporarily increase your tear production and doing so will improve your dry eye symptoms. The neurostimulation approach with TrueTearTM is a proven technology that is used in well know devices like pacemakers, cochlear implants and TENS Devices for chronic back pain. TrueTearTM is the first and only neurostimulation device for the treatment of Dry Eye Disease and is FDA approved to safely stimulate the nerves that supply the Lacrimal Function Unit (LFU); which is the part of your eyes that supplies the natural, healthy tears that keeps our eyes moist, comfortable and clear.
• Ocubliss: We bring to you the cleansing power of pure hypochlorous acid. It is provided in a glass container as plastic will degrade it effectivness. OcuBliss cleans and moisturizes your eyelids and surrounding skin, giving a more refreshed and revitalized appearance. Unlike many competitors, we guarantee our cleanser to be free of harmful byproducts like hypochlorite, the active ingredient in bleach. This is an organic, hypoallergenic, natural way to cleanse your eyelid and eyelashes without any abrasive chemicals, harmful additives or fear of eye irritation. The combination of an extremely gentle molecule and it’s unbelievable cleansing power makes our product the perfect eyelash and eyelid spray.
• ProkeraTM. Prokera is a biologic corneal bandage which has natural therapeutic actions known to heal the eye faster with less pain, scarring, and inflammation. It actually promotes healing in our Chronic Dry Eye patients, as well as others with corneal diseases or injuries. It is easily inserted and removed and sometimes can be used on one or both eyes multiple times depending on our patient’s needs.
• Intraductal Meibomian Gland Probing and Expression (MGPE). This procedure addresses the root cause of gland dysfunction from within the gland itself. This assists in removing obstructions or scar tissue within the duct and relieves symptoms of chronic obstructive Meibomian gland dysfunction. Using a lidocaine cream to anesthetize the area where a 1mm cannula or probe will be inserted in the eyelid to enter as many Meibomian glands as possible of the upper and lower lids as indicated to try to open up any scar tissue, remove any obstructions and try to stimulate more oil gland production. Often, a one-time session on all four lids can provide dramatic and immediate relief to patients. In some cases instantaneously and permanently for those patients who may not have an autoimmune disease. Some patients may need additional probing sessions.