Although you may not think about them very often, your tears are crucial for helping you see and maintain your eyes’ health and comfort. When you don’t have enough tears or your tears lack proper chemical composition, you’ll develop dry eyes.
Dry eyes are usually chronic, and you’ll likely require treatment to find relief and comfort. Please book an appointment with us today and find a solution for your dry eyes!
Dry eyes cause a variety of uncomfortable symptoms, including:
Dry eyes ultimately occur either because you don’t produce enough tears or your tears evaporate too quickly. Although dry eyes are related to a problem with your tear film, there are many reasons why your tear film is unstable in the first place.
If you’re unable to produce enough tears to provide adequate lubrication to your eyes’ surface, then you’ll develop a dry eye condition called keratoconjunctivitis sicca.
This type of dry eye occurs when the lacrimal gland can’t produce enough tears to cover the full surface of the eye. Without a complete tear layer, dry spots appear on the surface of the eyes, exposing the corneal nerves to the eyelids, making blinking extremely uncomfortable.
Decreased tear production is commonly caused by:
An essential component of your tear film is the oily layer produced by the meibomian glands, which prevents your tears from evaporating. If these glands become blocked, your tears will dry up before they can provide the lubrication needed to provide comfort. This condition is called evaporative dry eyes.
Increased tear evaporation can be caused by:
There are many therapies available that provide comfort and relief for dry, irritated eyes. But they’re not a one-size-fits-all solution. Treatment depends entirely on your condition’s root cause, which can be determined during a comprehensive eye exam.
Each treatment is designed to address a specific problem. In some cases, you may require more than one treatment to find complete relief. Our optometrists at Leet Meldrew Eye Care can perform a series of simple tests to assess your dry eyes before designing a personalized treatment plan based on your unique needs.
Treatments can include:
Dry eyes are common, affecting around 30% of Canadians. Find relief from your uncomfortable symptoms with Leet Meldrew Eye Care. Call us today or book your appointment online, and get back to enjoying your vision.
You can find us in the professional building on Kingston Road between Orchard Valley Court and Valley Farm Road. Our office is Suite 214, adjacent to the Pickering YMCA Employment and Community Services.
Leet Meldrew Eye Care
