Dry Eye Treatment

Dry Eye Treatment - College Station, TX

​​​​​​​Dry Eye Overview

Dry eye disease is more than an occasional annoyance; it is a chronic condition that can affect your comfort, vision, and overall eye health. When your eyes don't produce enough quality tears or your tears evaporate too quickly, you may experience irritation, inflammation, and blurred vision. Left untreated, dry eye can increase your risk of corneal damage and eye infections.

At Urban Optics, Dr. Greene and our experienced eye care team provide comprehensive evaluations and personalized dry eye treatment plans for patients throughout College Station, Bryan, and the Brazos Valley. Our goal is to identify the underlying cause of your symptoms and help you achieve lasting relief.

The Importance of the Tear Film

Dry eye occurs when your eyes aren't sufficiently protected by tear film. Tear film contains a water layer, a mucous layer to hold the water on the eye surface, and an oil layer to keep the water from evaporating. If these three ingredients are out of balance, you can't maintain eye moisture -- although your eyes may actually try to compensate by becoming excessively watery!

In addition to this abnormal eye-watering, telltale signs of dry eye include extreme sensitivity to light and glare, redness, itching, aching, burning and a gritty sensation as if you've got something lodged in your eye. You may also experience a blurring of vision. These problems can leave the eye chronically unprotected -- bad news for the cornea, which can be subjected to infection, inflammation and even scarring without adequate protection.

The "Why" of Dry Eye

Dry eye is a common affliction, if only because there are so many potential causes. Immune disorders such as Sjogren's syndrome are known to cause dry eye, as are medications such as antihistamines and certain antidepressant drugs. The modern world's constant use of computers and mobile devices can encourage the eyes to blink less often, allowing the tear film to dry out without being replenished and contributing to digital eye strain. Working or sleeping under a moving ceiling fan is another cause of dry eye. Even the normal aging process can lead to reduced tear production.

Dry eye can also occur after you've had surgery to remove cataracts in College Station. Individuals who replaced their diseased lenses with multifocal intraocular lenses (for correction of presbyopia) seem to especially prone to this issue. If you've been suffering dry eye symptoms after a recent surgery to remove cataracts in College Station, you should find out whether your symptoms are just normal post-operative irritation or a genuine case of dry eye that requires treatment.

Suffering from Dry Eye in College Station? Contact Urban Optics!

If you're experiencing dry eye in College Station, Urban Optics can provide the relief you seek. Our College Station optometrist can evaluate the quantity and composition of your tears, analyze your medical/medication history and ask you about your lifestyle to determine exactly why your eyes are drying out. We can then recommend treatment options such as:

• Artificial tears or ointments

• Treatments to un-block clogged tear glands

• Work breaks to help you blink more frequently

• Avoidance of ceiling fans or wind

• Nutritional suggestions such as increased omega-3 intake

You don't have to endure the discomforts of dry eye. Call Urban Optics at (979) 401-0800 to schedule an appointment with our College Station optometrist!

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