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What are Dry Eyes?
Do your eyes frequently feel dry, itchy, irritated, or even overly watery? You could be suffering from a chronic condition known as dry eye syndrome. This eye disease, caused by a number of factors such as allergic reactions or an underproduction of tears, can lead your eyes to constantly feel uncomfortable. While there isn’t a “cure”, our highly trained dry eye specialists can help you manage your condition so your eyes feel normal again.
How is Dry Eye Treated?
Our expert team can provide advanced treatment options for dry eye and recommend over-the-counter options. If your eyes feel irritated and dry, try these at-home treatments first:
Reduce screen exposure and give your eyes a break
Warm compresses can help stimulate glands to produce tears
Use a humidifier to increase moisture in the air
Use eye drops to help with initial treatment
Fish oil supplements (2-3 grams of omega-3 fatty acids (DHA+ EPA) combined daily)
Nationwide Vision available treatments
If over-the-counter options are unsuccessful, schedule an appointment. Our doctors can help determine the primary cause and find the right treatment plan.
Treatments we offer can include:
Prescription eye drops
Punctal plugs
Thermal meibomian gland therapies
Light-based therapy
Specialty contact lenses
What Are the Symptoms of Dry Eye?
Dry eye can have slightly different symptoms depending on the main cause of your dry eye diseases. However, in general, dry eye symptoms include:
Stinging, burning, or scratchy (gritty) feeling
Redness or irritation, worse in wind or smoke
Excessive tearing (reflex watering)
Blurry or fluctuating vision, especially with screens or reading
Light sensitivity
Stringy mucus in or around the eyes
Feeling like something is in your eye
Eye fatigue and contact lens discomfort
Trouble driving at night
When Should You See a Doctor for Dry Eye?
If you experience any of the above symptoms, schedule an eye exam with an eye doctor. We use the latest diagnostic technology to assess the condition of your eye, find out if what’s really causing the irritation is dry eye, and create a personalized treatment plan to help you manage your eye condition.
Typically, it’s time to see a doctor for your dry eyes if:
Symptoms persist for weeks or keep coming back
Over-the-counter or at-home remedies no longer help
It’s impacting your vision so you can’t drive/work
You have red, painful, swollen eyes and mucus discharge
You experience sudden vision changes and extreme pain after a traumatic eye injury
How Does Nationwide Vision Diagnose Dry Eyes?
Our team typically diagnose dry eye disease using a combination of family history information and tests designed to assess tear quantity and quality.
Examples include:
Slit-lamp exam of lids, lashes, cornea, and conjunctiva
Tear Break-Up Time (TBUT) to assess tear film stability
Corneal/conjunctival staining (fluorescein/lissamine) to spot surface damage
Schirmer test (or phenol red thread) to measure tear production
Meibomian gland evaluation and, when needed, meibography to view gland structure
Tear osmolarity testing to detect hyper-osmolar tears
MMP-9 (inflammation) test to identify ocular surface inflammation
Blink and screen-use assessment, contact lens fit check, environmental factors
Why Should You Treat Your Dry Eyes?
The primary reason you should treat your dry eyes is for relief. Itchy, watery, or dry eyes can be a constant nuisance. It can even get so bad that it seriously affects your vision and your ability to do daily tasks like watch TV, read, or even drive. If over-the-counter treatments are no longer helping, professional help may give you the relief you need.
The other reason is to protect your eyes. Untreated dry eye can damage the ocular surface, eventually causing permanent vision damage. Prompt treatment helps to protect your corneas by keeping your tear film healthy.