At Southwest Virginia Eye Center we have new technologies to determine how severe your dry eye may be and new treatments to greatly improve the condition.
Dysfunctional Tear Syndromeis the new term for dry eye syndrome and other tear related problems. This is a very common and frequently under diagnosed condition that affects millions of people, especially those over age 50. There are many new treatments and diagnostic techniques now available to help with this disabling condition. Measuring the salt concentration in your tears is one of the most accurate ways of determining how severe evaporative dry disease may be. We also have technology to measure surface inflammation, a new imaging device that measures lipid layer, tear height, tear breakup time, and even images the meibomian glands to determine the extent of your damage.
Normal Tears
Normal tears are a complex mixture of water, salts, oils, proteins, and mucous. Patients with Dysfunctional Tear Syndrome have lost the balanced of the components of their tears and then symptoms of dryness, foreign body, burning, and excessive tearing occur. There is no available true artificial tear substitute available today. Many have portions of the components of natural tears, but all are still very lacking. Medications such as Restasis, Xiidra, topical steroids, and blood plasma fortified artificial tears are all much better treatments for dysfunctional tear syndrome than over-the-counter drops. These as well as other treatments including insertion of punctual plugs, avoiding fans, and adding a humidifier to your bedroom can all help. At Southwest Virginia Eye Center, we will determine just which treatments are best for you.
If you think you have a problem with dry eyes or dysfunctional tear syndrome, please take this test known as the Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) and it will help us to better treat you.