How Can Your Opthamologist Help With Dry Eyes?
Having dry eyes can be painful and frustrating. Dry eye is a chronic medical condition that develops when your eyes are not able to produce enough tears to lubricate your eyes. This leads to a gritty, irritating, and painful feeling in the eye along with blurred vision and light sensitivity.
Luckily, our team at Seema Eye Care Center can provide dry eye treatment in Calgary. Read on to learn more about this condition and how our team can help.
What is the Cause of Dry Eye?
There are a few reasons why one may develop dry eye. As we age, our tear production naturally reduces and we deal with dry eyes more often. However, chronic dry eye can be caused by other factors, including:
● Certain medications
● Autoimmune conditions such as sjogren’s syndrome
● Thyroid problems
● The regular use of contact lenses
● The result of certain eye surgeries
All of these issues can contribute to the development of dry eye. While some people may think they can deal with the discomfort, not getting treatment for dry eye can lead to several issues with your eyes, such as infection and corneal tears. The best thing to do is visit an eye surgeon near you for an evaluation.
What Are Conservative Treatment Options for Dry Eye?
Often, a lifestyle-based and medication approach to treating dry eye is taken before more drastic measures are considered. For most people, conservative treatment is enough to reduce symptoms and alleviate the pain and discomfort caused by dry eye.
Artificial tears can be used to replace your natural tears and moisturize your eyes, and sometimes, your eye doctor may provide some prescription eye drops to increase your natural tear production. Sometimes, dietary supplements can be helpful to increase your tear production, such as omega-3 fatty acids.
If it is found that your condition is caused by medication, then switching to alternative medication can reduce your dry eye symptoms or get rid of them all together. Treating any underlying conditions can also help.
Surgical Treatment
There are some occasions where a conservative approach to dry eye treatment near you simply is not enough. In these cases, surgery becomes the best option for treating the condition. Our eye surgeons in Calgary may use several techniques to alleviate your symptoms. One of the more common techniques is to use punctal plugs to block your tear ducts. These are small plugs that prevent your tear ducts from allowing your tears to drain, and they remain in your eye to keep your tear film intact.
If punctal plugs do not work for you, then the other alternative is closing your tear ducts permanently. This is a more invasive method that heats your ducts to seal them closed, stopping your natural tears from draining. When you visit our eye surgeon, they will work with you to determine the best form of surgical treatment for your needs. Regardless of the method, you can rest assured that you will find some relief.
Visit Seema Eye
If you would like to learn more about treating dry eye and how to prevent damage to your eyes from this condition, please contact our team at Seema Eye. We are happy to work with you to help you find relief and enjoy an excellent quality of life. Please contact us to book your appointment today!