Dry Eye Treatment
Dry eye disease is a common condition that occurs when your tears aren't able to provide adequate lubrication for your eyes. Dry eyes may occur if you don't produce enough tears or if you produce poor-quality tears and can lead to inflammation and damage of the eye's surface.Complications from dry eyes might include:
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Eyes that sting or burn
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Stringy mucus around the eyes
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Light sensitivity
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Eye redness
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Foreign object sensation
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Watery eyes
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Blurry vision
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Eye fatigue
Treatment of dry eyes can be as simple as dietary changes, avoiding some activities or using appropriate eye drops. And if routine treatments don’t offer relief, Casey Optical Too also offers a specific treatment for dry eyes to our patients, called Lipiflow.
How Does LipiFlow Work?
LipiFlow has two main components. The first is a small piece that lookssimilar to a contact lens that heats your eyelids. The second component connects to a shield and sits outside the eye to help express oil from your glands.
Your optometrist will administer a mild anesthetic to increase your comfort. Afterwards, they’ll fit the LipiFlow device into place. The small contact-like lens piece emits heat to your eyelids while protecting your eye, helping to warm the oil inside of your meibomian glands. Your meibomian glands create the oil that forms one of the 3 layers of your tear film. This oil prevents your eyes from drying out too quickly.
After warming the glands, the second piece of the treatment device gently squeezes the eyelids to release the clogged oil. This treatment takes approximately 12 minutes.
One of the main benefits of LipiFlow is that the system is automated and effective. It can provide long-term relief of dry eye symptoms. However, there isn’t a guarantee you’ll see improvement.About 15% of patients report no significant improvement.
