Home All Eye Care Dry Eye

Need care for dry eyes? Our Denver area eye care clinics can help.

Dry eyes are a lack of moisture on the eye’s surface. A consistent layer of tears on the eyes produced by your lacrimal gland is needed to keep them healthy and functioning well. This tear film keeps the eye lubricated. Dry eye disease is the most common reason for visits to eye care providers, with over 16 million affected in the United States today. It ranges from mild irritation to debilitating pain and vision loss. Without proper care, dry eye disease can progress and become more difficult to treat. It can be a chronic condition, but dry eye syndrome is manageable in most cases.

Dry eyes can quickly put a damper on your day, which becomes a real problem if it happens often. Without a prompt solution, the stinging and burning may make it difficult to see clearly and focus on the task at hand. Thankfully, your eye doctor can help. Our Denver dry eye treatment doctors  can find just what causes your eyes to feel so dry and offer treatment options that will help you feel comfortable once again.

Need care for dry eyes? Our Denver area eye care clinics can help.

Dry eyes are a lack of moisture on the eye’s surface. A consistent layer of tears on the eyes produced by your lacrimal gland is needed to keep them healthy and functioning well. This tear film keeps the eye lubricated. Dry eye disease is the most common reason for visits to eye care providers, with over 16 million affected in the United States today. It ranges from mild irritation to debilitating pain and vision loss. Without proper care, dry eye disease can progress and become more difficult to treat. It can be a chronic condition, but dry eye syndrome is manageable in most cases.

Dry eyes can quickly put a damper on your day, which becomes a real problem if it happens often. Without a prompt solution, the stinging and burning may make it difficult to see clearly and focus on the task at hand. Thankfully, your eye doctor can help. Our Denver dry eye treatment doctors  can find just what causes your eyes to feel so dry and offer treatment options that will help you feel comfortable once again.

Dry Eye Symptoms

Dry eyes typically affect both eyes simultaneously, causing many uncomfortable symptoms, including:

  • Feeling of dirt stuck in your eyes / Scratchiness
  • Sudden sensitivity to light
  • Stinging / Burning
  • Red eye
  • Watery eyes
  • Eye fatigue
  • Blurred vision

If your eyes feel dry more often than not, it is common to notice mucus discharge as well. Along with the wateriness, the mucus can make it hard to see and cause difficulty driving at night. Even if your eyes tear up often, they will still feel dry since the watery substance does not offer enough lubrication.

young teen girl rubbing eyes

Common Dry Eye Causes

When all is well, your tears contain water, oils, mucus, and antibodies. If any of these goes missing from the formula, then dry eyes could result. The dryness also arises if your body stops producing enough tears. Causes of poor tear quality or low production include:

  • Medication side effects
  • Certain diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis
  • Incomplete closing of the eyelid
  • Tear gland damage
  • Getting older

Dry eyes are also a possible reaction after getting laser eye surgery. This effect is typically temporary and often easily resolved with help from your eye doctor. They can also help resolve dryness caused by other situations as needed to keep you comfortable.

How can I treat chronic dry eye?

If your dry eyes only cause minor discomfort, Our Denver dry eye treatment doctors may recommend using an artificial tear solution several times a day as treatment for your dry eyes.

Once your eye doctor pinpoints the exact cause, they can offer a number of targeted solutions that will work best for you. If dry eyes are negatively impacting your life, you don’t have to continue living in discomfort. How to cure dry eyes permanently requires proper treatment. Your course of treatment will depend on your eye health and symptoms. All it takes is a call to ICON Eyecare to schedule an appointment with our Denver dry eye treatment doctors.

How can I treat chronic dry eye?

If your dry eyes only cause minor discomfort, Our Denver dry eye treatment doctors may recommend using an artificial tear solution several times a day as treatment for your dry eyes.

Once your eye doctor pinpoints the exact cause, they can offer a number of targeted solutions that will work best for you. If dry eyes are negatively impacting your life, you don’t have to continue living in discomfort. How to cure dry eyes permanently requires proper treatment. Your course of treatment will depend on your eye health and symptoms. All it takes is a call to ICON Eyecare to schedule an appointment with our Denver dry eye treatment doctors.

Our Dry Eye Treatments Include:

Serum Tears

Serum tears are made from a small sample of your own DNA to fit your unique biology. The sterile, preservative-free solution acts as a tear substitute, and contains many important growth factors and nutrients normally found in healthy tears. Because of the design, this solution does not burn, tingle, or itch when used.

Punctal Plugs

Punctal plugs keep your natural tears on your eyes longer by blocking the tear ducts through which the tears normally drain. The tear ducts are filled with tiny silicone or gel-like plugs that can be removed, if needed, keeping your eyes moist instead of dry.

Scleral Lenses

Scleral lenses are large-diameter gas permeable contact lenses that cover the entire cornea as well as the sclera (the “white of the eye”). They serve as an alternative to regular contact lenses, and are appropriate for patients with irregularly-shaped corneas or severe dry eye. Scleral lenses also offer people suffering from severe dry eye a comfortable solution to their vision problems. Full scleral lenses are designed to maintain a wide gap between the back surface of the lens and the cornea, creating a tear reservoir that keeps the front of the eye moist.

Eyelid Expression

Eyelid expression is an in-office procedure that opens the glands and stimulates new tear production in your eyes.

Prescription Eye Drops

While many over-the-counter artificial tears will help to temporarily lubricate and soothe dry eyes, they do not resolve the root cause. Your doctor may prescribe an eyedrop that works to improve the production and quality of your tears instead.

 

Are You a Physician?