Dry eye is one of the most common eye conditions. It happens when your eyes don't produce enough tears, or when your tears evaporate too quickly. Tears are crucial. They protect your eyes, keep them lubricated, and help you see clearly. When you don't have enough quality tears, your eyes become irritated and uncomfortable. Symptoms include scratchy or burning sensation, feeling like something's in your eye, redness, light sensitivity, and sometimes paradoxically, watery eyes. Dry eye can significantly impact quality of life, especially if you spend a lot of time on screens.
Many things can cause dry eye. Aging naturally reduces tear production. Hormonal changes, especially in women near menopause, decrease tear production. Certain medications like antihistamines, antidepressants, and birth control pills cause dry eye as a side effect. Screen time reduces blinking, which decreases tears. Environmental factors like wind, dry air, and smoke contribute. Extended contact lens wear is a major culprit. Some conditions like Sjogren's Syndrome affect tear production. Poor nutrition and vitamin A deficiency play a role. Understanding the cause helps us treat it effectively.
NVISION offers multiple treatment options depending on severity. Artificial tears are first-line treatment for mild dry eye. Heat therapy devices like LipiFlow help if meibomian glands aren't functioning well. Punctal plugs are tiny inserts in tear drainage ducts that keep more tears on your eyes. Steroid eye drops reduce inflammation, which is often a key factor in dry eye. TearCare is a newer technology we offer at several locations. If you're considering vision correction surgery, knowing about dry eye is crucial because procedures like SMILE cause less disruption to tear production than LASIK.
If you have dry eye and want laser vision correction, you have options. SMILE is the most dry-eye-friendly procedure because it disrupts fewer corneal nerves. LASIK and PRK can temporarily worsen dry eye, but it usually resolves. EVO ICL is also excellent for dry eye patients because it doesn't reshape your cornea. Before surgery, we'll treat your dry eye aggressively to get it as stable as possible. After surgery, we'll carefully monitor your eyes and ensure you have the support you need to manage any temporary dryness during healing. Many patients find that once their dry eye is well-managed, vision correction is very successful.
Dry eye is usually chronic and requires ongoing management. The good news is that with the right combination of treatments, most people achieve comfortable vision. Simple lifestyle changes help: blink consciously during screen time, use protective eyewear in wind, stay hydrated, and take breaks from screens. Using prescribed treatments consistently makes a huge difference. If you have dry eye, don't let it prevent you from pursuing vision correction. We have strategies to manage it successfully through surgery and recovery.