Family Vision Care is proud to be the premier dry eye clinic in the Charleston area. From diagnosing dry eyes with proven testing, to treating dry eyes with state of the art technology, we would love to help you put your best eyes forward. Schedule a Dry Eye office visit today to get started!
What is Dry Eye Disease?
Dry Eye Disease, also known as Ocular Surface Disease (OSD), has become the most common eye disease. OSD develops when the quality of a patient’s tear film is compromised either by inflammation, reduced gland expression, reduced tear production, or both. The patient's vision often becomes blurry, and related symptoms begin to appear, leading to potential structural damage to the eyes.
OSD is chronic and progressive, meaning it will become worse over time if left untreated. Fortunately, the doctors at Family Vision Care provide patients with the most innovative therapy available to alleviate the symptoms of OSD and manage the condition effectively.
Symptoms of Dry Eye Disease include:
Dry Eye Treatments:
A large part of the dry eye clinic is finding the best individualized treatment plan. For treatment of inflammation, there are prescription eye drops such as Restasis, Xiidria, and Cequa, as well as an in-office procedure called IPL (intense pulse light) has been found to be very effective in controlling inflammation. To clear obstruction of the meibomian glands, the most effective procedure is the Lipiflow thermal pulsation treatment. Cleaning the eyelid margins is essential for clearing the openings of the meibomian glands. This can be done with a procedure called Blephex, or lid scrubs that can be used at home. To stabilize the tear film, good artificial tears or lubricating drop are useful. It is important to use only those products recommended by the doctor, as some commercially prepared drops contain harmful preservatives.
OSD is chronic and progressive, meaning it will become worse over time if left untreated. Fortunately, the doctors at Family Vision Care provide patients with the most innovative therapy available to alleviate the symptoms of OSD and manage the condition effectively.
Symptoms of Dry Eye Disease include:
- Dryness
- Tearing
- Fluctuating vision
- Stinging or burning
- Watery eyes
- Sandy or gritty feeling
- Redness
- Eye fatigue
- Itching
- Light sensitivity
- Reduced wearing time of contact lenses
Dry Eye Treatments:
A large part of the dry eye clinic is finding the best individualized treatment plan. For treatment of inflammation, there are prescription eye drops such as Restasis, Xiidria, and Cequa, as well as an in-office procedure called IPL (intense pulse light) has been found to be very effective in controlling inflammation. To clear obstruction of the meibomian glands, the most effective procedure is the Lipiflow thermal pulsation treatment. Cleaning the eyelid margins is essential for clearing the openings of the meibomian glands. This can be done with a procedure called Blephex, or lid scrubs that can be used at home. To stabilize the tear film, good artificial tears or lubricating drop are useful. It is important to use only those products recommended by the doctor, as some commercially prepared drops contain harmful preservatives.
Intense Pulse Light
IPL (intense pulse light) is one of our in-office procedures that has been found to be very effective in controlling inflammation related to Dry Eye Disease. that uses focused light to treat the root cause of inflammation associated with dry eye disease. IPL has been used for years in dermatology for skin rejuvenation, rosacea, hair removal, and aesthetic purposes (a nice side effect of our treatment) and is now a cutting edge dry eye treatment plan. The IPL treatment plan consists of four sessions spaced 3-4 weeks apart with a maintenance treatment at either the 6 month or 1 year mark. During those treatments, it was observed that many people experienced a marked improvement in their dry eyes. IPL is over 90% effective in treating inflammation, as compared to 28% for prescription eye drops.
Lipiflow
The Lipiflow Thermal Pulsation System is another in-office dry eye treatment that consists of a console and a single-use sterile device, know as the activator. Lipiflow employs thermal pulsation to heat the glands and massage the lid, clearing the old, thick oil from the glands. The Lipiflow procedure takes only about 20 minutes and the results can last for one year or more.
Blephex
Blephex is another in-office procedure that deep cleans the eyelid margin which also plays a role in dry eyes. This is an efficient procedure performed by the doctor to remove debris and build-up where the meibomian glands express.
