How Can Dry Eyes be Treated?
How Can Dry Eyes be Treated?
If your eyes sting and burn, look red, or feel gritty, you may have dry eyes, as if sand is lodged in them. When the tiny glands in and around your eyelids don't produce enough tears to keep your eyes hydrated, healthy, and your vision clear, red itchy eyes might develop.
Keep reading to learn about dry eyes and how to find an excellent dry eye doctor in Henderson, NV.
Overview
The lack of lubrication and moisture on the eye's surface is referred to as dry eyes. To maintain your eyes' health, make them comfortable, and see well, you need an adequate and regular layer of tears on their surface.
When your eyes don't produce enough tears to keep them moist, or when your tears don't function correctly, you get dry eye. This might make you feel uncomfortable, and it can even cause vision issues in some situations.
Dry eye is a prevalent problem that affects millions of people in the United States. The good news is that there are multiple things you can do to keep your eyes healthy and discomfort-free.
Treatment Options Available For Dry Eyes
When dry eye becomes a permanent issue, it is considered chronic. Chronic dry eye can be treated with a variety of medications and procedures, so let's explore some of the most common treatment options available:
OTC (over-the-counter) Medications
Artificial tears in the form of eye drops are available over-the-counter, and they are considered one of the most common treatments for dry eyes. Preservative-based eye drops last a long time on the shelf. Non-preservative eye drops are packaged in multiple single-use vials that are discardable after usage.
Artificial tears do little more than wet your eyes. Artificial tears may be all you need if your dry eye symptoms are modest. However, you may need to use them multiple times a day.
Punctal Plugs
When over-the-counter tear replacement drops fail, punctal plugs may be a possibility. Your eye doctor would place these tiny silicone plugs into your tear ducts to block your eyes' natural drainage, therefore keeping your tears on your eyes. This will help to keep your eye moist so that the tears you produce naturally do not drain off your eye.
Medications On Prescription
If your dry eye is more serious, your eye doctor may prescribe cyclosporine (Restasis) or ophthalmic lifitegrast (Xiidra). These drugs are eye drops that can help your eyes produce more tears.
Lifestyle Changes
Your doctor may recommend modifications to help protect your eyes if something in your life or environment is causing or aggravating your dry eye.
If a medicine you're taking for another health problem is causing dry eye, your doctor may recommend switching to a different one.
Surgery
Dry eyes can occur when your lower eyelids are too loose, allowing tears to drain too quickly from your eyes. If this causes your dry eye, your eye doctor may recommend surgery to correct your eyelids and help your tears stay on your eyes. This is a somewhat uncommon treatment.
Best Dry Eye Treatment Near Me
Stop looking. You have found us. Dr. Aimee Noll OD has years of experience diagnosing and successfully treating dry eye. She treats the triggering condition first, and the dry eyes typically resolve after that. Don't let red itchy eyes stop you from your daily activities and appreciating life. Visit Dr. Noll in Henderson, NV, to relieve your symptoms and enjoy life again. Make an appointment at (702) 665 4960.
