Many people struggle with dry eyes. The prevalence of this complaint, however, does not take away from the troublesome nature of its symptoms. Patients with dry eyes suffer from a lack of adequate tears. Your tears are a complex mixture of water, oils, and mucus. This combination helps smooth and clear the surface of your eye, preventing any infection. Some people’s dry eyes are created by tear evaporation and an imbalance in the consistency and makeup of their tears.

However, decreased tear production is the single most common reason for dry eyes. When the body cannot produce enough tears, the outer layer of the eye begins to dry and grow red from irritation. Without proper tear production, an infection may occur. Decreased tear production occurs due to aging, medical conditions, or damage to tear glands. After laser eye surgery, many patients experience a temporary drop in tear production.

If you suffer from chronic ocular allergy, you should know about the available treatments. While not all treatments can remove an allergy completely, many can help you manage the symptoms. At Your Eye Specialists, we offer advanced ocular allergy testing in the form of a simple 10-minute test, with absolutely no needle skin test involved. This test seeks out 60 common allergens, and is covered by insurance.

To mitigate your allergy symptoms, you should of course work to avoid allergy triggers such as pollen. However, sometimes this just isn’t possible. We at Your Eye Specialists utilize the latest artificial tears, decongestants, antihistamines, and various other methods to offer relief. If your symptoms become overwhelming to the point where you cannot perform everyday activities, seek out treatment as soon as possible. When you come for a consultation appointment at Your Eye Specialists, we can discuss your current symptoms and allergies and formulate a comprehensive treatment plan.

• Artificial Tears – There are numerous brands of artificial tears designed to improve your eyes’ lubrication. Speak with a specialist to find the right type for your eyes.
• Restasis – Instead of lubricated tears, your eye specialist may recommend Restasis. This prescription eye drop is used daily and helps reduce inflammation and improve lubrication.
• Warm Compresses – As an alternative to prescription medications, you can apply warm compresses to your dry eyes. They open clogged Meibomian glands, releasing meibum, an oily substance that keeps tears from evaporating.

• Artificial tears – Artificial tear drops relieve eye allergy symptoms by removing allergens from the eye. These tears may also relieve dry eye symptoms.
• Decongestants – Decongestants aren’t just for your chest! When used for eye allergies, these reduce redness and itchiness.
• Antihistamines – Antihistamines work by relieving itchiness and stabilizing the eye to prevent allergy symptoms altogether. You may use prescribed antihistamines once or twice per day to relieve symptoms and clear your vision.
• Corticosteroids – Corticosteroids treat chronic and severe allergy symptoms such as itching, redness, and swelling.

Many vision-impaired people decide to forego eye treatment because they think it’s too expensive. You don’t have to fall into this trap! It’s entirely possible to find affordable eye care. At Your Eye Specialists, we make sure that our patients can get the quality care they deserve, when they deserve it.

We give our ocular allergy treatment procedures industry-appropriate prices. At every step, we make it a priority to offer high-quality treatment options for patients who might otherwise be unable to acquire competent healthcare elsewhere. Before we perform any treatment, we’ll sit down with you one-on-one and discuss the total cost of the procedure and the available payment options. We want you to have all the information you need. Proper vision care is within your reach. In fact, most insurance providers cover diagnosis and treatment options! Call Your Eye Specialists today to learn more.

There is no cure for chronic dry eye syndrome, but there are methods of dry eye treatment that can help manage the annoying symptoms of dry eye. Over the counter lubricating eye drops are available, and if those not work for you, you can speak with your doctor about the best course of treatment. Your doctor may prescribe you with an eye drop medication called Restasis that will stimulate your natural tear production for dry eye treatment. Tear duct plugs are another option, usually used when eye drops are not sufficient to control symptoms.

Environmental changes may also aid to control symptoms of dry eye syndrome. Steps can be taken, such as limiting your exposure to smoke or using a humidifier to create a better environment for tear production. Obtaining allergy treatment may also be beneficial. Eating a well-balanced diet with plenty of omega-3 fatty acids, or taking them as a supplement, has been shown to improve dry eye symptoms over time.

• Perform an Eye Exam – A comprehensive eye exam will include a full history of your health and eye health, which helps diagnose the cause of your current dry eyes.
• Measure Tears – Measuring the volume of tear production using the Schirmer test.
• Review Quality – Determining the quality of your tears using special dyes in eye drops helps to determine specific surface conditions. Staining patterns on the corneas and measurements of tear evaporation will help dry eye diagnosis.