Do you have red, irritated, burning, dry eyes? Your local optometrist can help you treat or cure these problems. In today’s environment, we have a multiple of options to help treat dry eyes. Understanding all of your options and how they would or would not fit into your lifestyle is the key to success.
Treatments include a number of options ranging from lifestyle changes, i.e. turning off the ceiling fan, to vitamin therapy, to using eye drops. There are vitamins that can help you create more healthy tears, skin and general health. Some people prefer to take these vitamins daily, while others prefer to use artificial tears. Many patients also do very well with medicated eye drops that help to create more healthy tears. Punctal Plugs are also a very good option to help treat dry eyes. The plugs help to keep your own natural tears in your eye longer. In more severe cases, patients may require eyelid surgery or stronger medications along with bandage soft contact lenses.
Sometimes people do not realize that a simple change in their everyday environment can reduce their dry eyes. Analyzing your ergonomics while working on your computer and adjusting the height of the computer screen can help. Turning off fans or pointing them away from your eyes can decrease dry eyes. Remembering to blink more frequently while working on a computer will bring in a fresh supply of tears to help keep your eyes more lubricated.
Many patients, who had been unsuccessful contact lens wearers in the past, may actually now be able to comfortably wear contact lenses if their dry eyes are treated properly. We treat dry eyes on a daily basis at 20/20 Optometric Eye Care. I have successfully treated thousands of patients with dry eyes over the last nine years. Patients express relief when their dry eyes are treated properly.
Over the last 10 years, there has been an increase in temporary dry eyes because of LASIK eye surgeries. This temporary condition of dry eyes generally improves with time. The same treatment options I have mentioned will work with post-LASIK patients. There are many more options available for dry eye patients that have been discovered over the last three to four years.
For questions, please call Dr. Carol Aivazian at 661-287-3939.