Dry Eye Therapy

What is Dry Eye?

Dry eye results from the break up or lack of tear film that normally lubricates your eyes to provide moisture, protection and clear, comfortable vision.

Common causes of dry eye are aging, hormonal changes in women entering menopause, pregnancy, taking oral contraceptives or hormone replacement therapy, as well as diseases such as asthma, diabetes, autoimmune diseases, including Sjogren’s Syndrome or simply smoke, wind or contact lenses.

For a majority of dry eye sufferers a defect of the lipid layer of the tear film is the trigger of the dry eye complaints. The lipid layer is a very thin layer of fat, composed of lipids produced by the Meibomian glands. This lipid layer protects the tears from evaporation and prevents the tears from running over the lid margin. A lack of these lipids results in an increased evaporation of tears.

What Are the Common Symptoms?

Burning, itching, tearing, foreign body sensation or the sensation of dry eyes are symptoms of irritated eyes. These can also be caused by insufficient moisture or by hypersensitivities (i.e. allergies) to substances like pollen, animal hair or household dust, for example. As both can present with similar symptoms, it can be difficult to differentiate between a dry eye or an allergic eye.

Dry eye is one of the most common complications following eye surgery. Continuous and sufficient lubrication is necessary to regenerate injured superficial tissues of the eye.