Dry Eye Could Damage Your Eyes
Dry eyes are uncomfortable. They’re irritating, disruptive, and make it hard to focus. But did you know your dry eyes could damage your vision?
Dry eyes, or dry eye disease, is not just a symptom; it’s a chronic condition. Without the appropriate tear volume or quality, your eyes become vulnerable to injuries, infections, and even ulcers. Keeping your eyes hydrated and lubricated is absolutely essential to your ocular and visual health.
At Brighton Eyecare, we find the source of your dry eye and treat the underlying cause, not just manage your symptoms. Request an appointment to find relief from your dry eye.
What Happens When You Have Dry Eyes
Dry eye occurs when your eyes produce too few tears or when the tears lack the balance required to keep the front of your eye lubricated.
Clear, comfortable vision relies on a stable tear film made of three key components: mucus, water, and oil. If any of these layers is disrupted, tears evaporate quickly or fail to spread smoothly across your eye, resulting in redness, inflammation, and ongoing eye irritation.
Common Causes of Dry Eye
Everyday environments, daily habits, health shifts, and prescription medications can all disrupt how your eyes produce tears.
- Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD): Blocked or swollen oil glands in your eyelids fail to release enough oil to slow down tear evaporation.
- Environmental factors: Exposure to Saskatchewan’s dry air, winter winds, low indoor moisture, and active heating or cooling systems.
- Frequent screen use: Reduced blinking while using computers, mobile phones, or digital tablets for long stretches.
- Aging: Normal hormonal changes or natural declines in tear volume over time.
- Blepharitis: Bacterial irritation or buildup along your eyelashes that inflames the eyelids and disrupts tear stability.
- Medical conditions: Existing conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s Syndrome, and lupus, can affect tear production.
Recognizing Dry Eye Symptoms
A dry or stinging feeling is common, but dry eye can present several distinct warning signs during your day:
- Persistent stinging, burning, or dryness in the eye
- A rough, gritty feeling as if a speck of dust is under your eyelid
- Unexpected bursts of watery eyes or excessive tearing
- General soreness, redness, or eye irritation
- Increased sensitivity to indoor lighting or sunlight
- Stringy discharge or mucus around your eye margins
- Blurry vision, glare, or halos around lights that fluctuate
- Discomfort or early tiredness while wearing contact lenses
Treatment Options for Dry Eye Relief
Because dry eye stems from different root issues, finding relief starts with a thorough diagnostic exam. Our optometrists evaluate your tear volume, gland function, and eyelid health to guide your treatment plan.
A proper professional diagnosis is essential because low tear quantity and poor tear quality require entirely different management strategies. Our optometry team provides the clear direction needed to improve your eye comfort.
Punctal plugs are tiny devices, roughly the size of a grain of rice, placed directly into the small tear drainage channels in your eyelids. By slowing down drainage, these plugs keep your natural tears on the surface of your eye much longer to maintain hydration.
Plugs can be temporary or semi-permanent. Temporary versions dissolve over time, while semi-permanent options last longer; if temporary plugs bring relief, your optometrist may recommend transitioning to a semi-permanent style.
Prescription drops target underlying inflammation while encouraging your eyes to increase natural tear production. Our optometrists select specific therapeutic eye drops formulated to rebalance your unique tear film.
When dry eye is linked to poor oil flow, unblocking the eyelid glands helps restore proper tear balance. Over time, hardened oils or debris can clog these tiny openings.
Meibomian gland expression is an in-office treatment performed by your optometrist, who applies controlled, gentle pressure to your eyelids to clear caked-up secretions and restore healthy oil flow across your eye surface.
BlephEx is a gentle in-office procedure taking just a few minutes per eye. Using a specialized handheld tool, your eye care provider clears away built-up oil, crusting, and dead skin cells along the eyelash line and eyelid margins, freeing up the gland openings to support healthy tear production.
Debridement offers another effective method to clear blocked gland openings along your eyelids. This technique carefully removes accumulated keratin and debris from the eyelid margins, allowing your oil glands to secrete freely and reinforcing your protective tear layer.
Schedule Your Dry Eye Evaluation at Brighton Eyecare
Irritated, uncomfortable eyes do not have to disrupt your work, hobbies, or daily life. Through diagnostic testing, tailored treatments, and regular follow-up exams, Brighton Eyecare helps you maintain comfortable vision for the long term.
Contact Brighton Eyecare today to book your eye exam and discuss treatment options for your eyes.
Frequently Asked Questions About Dry Eye
Treating dry eye involves addressing root causes through options like prescription drops, eyelid hygiene, or in-office gland clearance. Book an appointment with Brighton Eyecare to receive a comprehensive evaluation and tailored advice to improve your eye comfort.
Typical symptoms include persistent burning, stinging, redness, light sensitivity, and a gritty feeling like sand under your eyelids. Book an appointment with our optometry team to receive a comprehensive evaluation and tailored advice to improve your eye comfort.
Dry eye is usually an ongoing condition that can persist indefinitely if underlying tear film instability is left unmanaged. Book an appointment with our clinic to receive a comprehensive evaluation and tailored advice to improve your eye comfort.
Excessive watering is a reflex response triggered when your eyes try to compensate for poor tear quality and surface irritation. Book an appointment with our team to receive a comprehensive evaluation and tailored advice to improve your eye comfort.
Certain contact lenses can absorb natural moisture from your ocular surface, often accelerating dryness and fatigue during extended wear. We offer contact lens options designed for individuals who experience dry eye. Book an appointment with Brighton Eyecare to receive a comprehensive evaluation and tailored recommendations for specialty lens options to keep your contact lenses comfortable.
Coverage varies depending on your individual plan, though our clinic staff can help confirm your specific benefits for therapies and prescription care. Book an appointment with our clinic to receive a comprehensive evaluation and tailored advice to improve your eye comfort.
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Find us in Brighton Marketplace, near the Shoppers Drug Mart and the Pet Valu. There is plenty of parking available.
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- Phone: 306-978-2993
- Fax: 306-978-2990
- Email: becadmin@yxevision.ca
After Hours Emergencies: 306-371-9911
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