Dry Eyes

What is dry eyes?

Dry eyes is a condition causing persistent eye irritation due to poor-quality or insufficient tears. Over time, the irritation can cause blurred vision and damage the surface of your eyes.

Your body produces tears to wash away debris and keep your vision clear. Tears have an oily layer, a watery layer, and a mucus layer that each play a role in moisturizing your eyes. When you’re not producing enough tears, or there’s dysfunction in layers of the tear film, your eyes can feel persistently dry and scratchy.

Things that can increase your risk of dry eyes include:

• Aging
• Hormone imbalance
• Rosacea and other chronic skin conditions
• Use of some medications, like birth control and antihistamines

Wicker Park Eye Center offers several therapies to restore or increase the quality of your eye moisture and prevent related complications. Dr. Tepper personalizes a care plan based on what’s causing your dry eyes and how severe your symptoms are.

When should I seek medical care for dry eyes?

Schedule a diagnostic evaluation at Wicker Park Eye Center if you experience eye symptoms like:

• Pain
• Redness
• Burning
• Stinging
• Hazy vision
• Increased light sensitivity
• Difficulties wearing contacts

Dr. Tepper offers the Schirmer tear test to examine the quality and quantity of your tears. He places a strip of filter paper inside your lower eyelid to get a sample of your tears.

You can expect a comprehensive eye exam with a slit lamp that helps Dr. Tepper identify structural problems interfering with healthy tear production.

How is dry eyes treated?

Initially, Dr. Tepper will recommend over-the-counter or prescription artificial tears to restore moisture and ease eye irritation. If the drops aren’t working, Dr. Tepper can place special plugs in your tear ducts to keep more natural tears in your eyes.

Other dry eye treatments include:

LipiFlow® therapy

LipiFlow is a thermal pulsation system using heat to stimulate the meibomian glands and clear blockages to increase tear production.

Intense pulsed light (IPL) laser treatment

IPL laser technology uses light energy to destroy bacteria and inflamed blood vessels in the meibomian glands that interfere with tear production.

Dr. Tepper recommends eating foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, including flax seeds and oily fish.

Call Wicker Park Eye Center today to schedule a consultation for dry eyes or book an appointment online.