Dry Eyes Specialist

What causes dry eyes?

Dry eyes, or dry eye syndrome, occurs when you have a lack of sufficient moisture on the surface of your eyes or a lack of quality tears. Depending on what’s causing your symptoms, your dry eye syndrome may be one of the following conditions:

• Keratitis sicca: dry, inflamed corneas
• Keratoconjunctivitis sicca: dry corneas and conjunctiva, the clear membranes that cover the surface of your eyes
• Dysfunctional tear syndrome: poor tear quality

When your meibomian glands or lacrimal glands, which are the glands in your eyes responsible for making tears, don’t function properly to produce the right combination of tears, it can lead to decreased tear volume or poor tear quality.

Dry eyes can cause severe discomfort, especially after staring at a computer screen for several hours or being in an air-conditioned space where the air is particularly dry.

What are the symptoms of dry eyes?

Symptoms can occur in one or both of your eyes and often include:

• A scratchy, gritty feeling in your eyes
• Redness around your eyes
• Sensitivity to light
• Stinging, burning sensation
• Itchy eyes
• Blurred vision
• Mucus in and around your eyes
• Eye fatigue
• Difficulty wearing contact lenses

It’s also common to feel like something is in your eye when you have dry eye syndrome.

How are dry eyes diagnosed and treated?

Dr. Whitson and the team at Whitson Vision use some of the most advanced, state-of-the-art diagnostic testing equipment to determine the underlying cause of your dry eyes. The results of a meibography (the imaging of your meibomian glands) reveal an image of your meibomian gland dysfunction, and why they’re not working properly.

Dr. Whitson and the team also evaluate inflammation in your eyes using an in-office test called InflammaDry®. This test detects elevated levels of MMP9 proteins in your tears, which are a common indication of dry eye syndrome. Additionally, results from the TearLab® diagnostic test measure the quality of the tear film in your eyes.

At Whitson Vision, the team may also use the LipiView® diagnostic system’s imaging technology to assess the composition of your tear fluid. This test helps your physician determine if you’re a good candidate for LipiFlow®. This treatment is a painless, in-office procedure that uses thermal pulses of energy to relieve symptoms of dry eye syndrome by unblocking meibomian glands.

For the most comprehensive diagnostic testing and long-term relief for dry eyes, call the team at Whitson Vision to schedule your appointment. You can also book your visit online.