Dry Eye and Tear Deficiency Problems
Dry Eye, also known as Ocular Surface Disease (OSD) and Dry eye Disease (DED) is one of the most common ailments that we see in the practice. In general Dry Eye is common, chronic, and progressive if not treated successfully.
Symptoms can include:
- Burning and redness
- Tired Eyes
- Foreign body sensation
- Sensitivity to light
- Excessive tearing
- Worsening later in the day
- Transient blurred vision
- Pain
- Contact lens intolerance
Causes can included:
- Insufficient tear production by the lacrimal gland (Aqueous Dry Eye) or
- Insufficient oil layer produced by the meibomian glands (Evaporative Dry Eye) or
- some combination of the above
- Blepharitis – infection of the lids
- Medications such as antihistamines or anti-anxiety meds
- Autoimmune diseases such as Sjogren’s syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis
- Acne Rosacea
Any of the above cause the tear film to become unstable. An unstable tear film evaporates too quickly between blinks and causes an increase in tear osmolarity which then results in inflammation and discomfort or unstable vision.
- Insufficient tears produced by the lacrimal gland accounts for about 14% of cases.
- Insufficient oil from diseased meibomian glands (meibomian gland disease – MGD) is present in about 86% of cases.
Drs. Thurmond and Wood have received specialized testing and treatment to best serve our dry eye patients. All doctors at GEC provide extensive dry eye evaluations including:
- Measurement of the thickness of the lipid layer
- Measurement of the completeness of your blink (many dry eye patients are incomplete blinkers)
