Having dry eyes can be absolutely terrible.  I’ve spent a great deal of time studying and treating dry eyes.  I’ve been part of groups of other Dr’s of Optometry where we foucssed exclusively on advanced dry eye treatments, I’ve attended conferences and presentations. Dry eye treatment isn’t an official specialty in optometry, but it is something that I’ve studied deeply and passionately.  I strive to be at the forefront of treating dry eyes. There’s a number of treament options that we have, and when you come in for a consultation, we can see what would be best for treating 

I wanted to tell you a little about dry eyes and watery eyes and this new treatment we have for them. Do you know if your eyes are overly watery, it is often a symptom of dry eyes?

Before we go on, I should warn you about a side effect: This treatment can tighten aging skin, reducing fine lines and wrinkles by stimulating collagen production. It subtly can make your skin look younger. But more about that later.

Now, there can be different reasons for dry eyes. When you come in for an appointment we can look at a number of the issues. I’ll tell you about the most common reason now though:

When your eyes are functioning as they should, they stay comfortably wet. This is because there’s a layer of tears. And on top of that layer of tear, there’s a thin film of oil. The oil keeps the tear from evaporating. Your eyelids produce this oil in the meibomian glands. Over time, your meibomian glands may become clogged up. Now if the meibomian glands get clogged, then they aren’t releasing oil over the tear, and the tear layer will evaporate making your eyes feel dry or scratchy.

Have you ever seen a tube of toothpaste, where the lid’s been left off for an extended period of time? It’s all dry and clogged up, and you’re not going to easily get the toothpaste out. That’s how it is with your meibomian glands.

We use radio frequency to gently warm your meibomian glands if they’ve been clogged. This lets them start again producing the oil that your eyes need to not be feeling dry all the time. Emily in our office suffers from dry eye. She needed eye drops daily. About a month ago she had this treatment, and she noticed a huge difference. It significantly reduced her need for eye drops. Not having dry, gritty-feeling eyes is huge benefit for Emily.

You know what else is nice? When you come in to have your watery or dry eyes treated, we can also treat around your eyes and even your face to reduce crows feet and wrinkles at the same time!

***If this sounds interesting to you, please give the office a call at 403.526.2285 and one of the girls will book you a consultation to see how we can help you with your dry eyes.***