How is dry eye treated?
Treatment for dry eye can take many forms. Non-surgical methods include blinking exercises, increasing humidity at home or work, and use of artificial tears or moisturizing ointment. If these methods fail, small plugs may be inserted in the corners of the eyes to limit tear drainage, or the drainage tubes in the eyes may be surgically closed.
Age and disease related dry eye can be a chronic condition and unfortunately there is no cure… but relief is available. If your dry eye is environmentally related, avoiding the situations that might cause it will help. However, because it is practically impossible to avoid all such situations, relief is available for this as well. Usually this consists of applying an ocular lubricant such as an eye drops, ointment or gel. Their purpose is to reduce the dry, scratchy feeling, while they work to cool and soothe your eyes. Ointments may be advantageous for prolonged relief as you sleep but they will blur your vision if used during waking hours. A gel, such as Vidisic gel, forms a long lasting, protective film that can be applied less frequently than drops, is not associated with the blurred vision that ointments can cause and can be used day and night. For milder cases of dry eye an artificial tear, such as Artelac***, with lower viscosity is recommended to relieve the symptoms.
A. Dry eye can produce symptoms of blur, dryness, red eye, burning, tearing, foreign body sensation, eye pain, eye rubbing, excessive blinking and contact lens intolerance ranging from mild to severe. The first line of treatment is topical agents (eye drops) and eliminating environmental medical or medication causes when possible. If these efforts are unsuccessful, silicone punctum plugs can be non-invasively and painlessly placed at the opening of the tear drainage canal to restore ocular comfort with excellent results. A new topical medication for dry eye has recently been approved to increase tear production. Additionally, nutritional supplements have been found effective. Your eye doctor will help you determine the treatment plan that is right for you.
