View Our Dry Eye Webinar

Dry Eye Solutions

Dry eye occurs when the eyes do not produce sufficient tears or the tears evaporate too quickly. Tears are necessary to help lubricate, protect and nourish our eyes. Without a steady flow of tears, eye irritation will result.

Symptoms of Dry Eye

Watering/tearing
Itching
Stinging
Redness
Light sensitivity
Eye fatigue
Blurry vision

Without proper treatment, inadequate tears can make daily activities like reading, watching TV, driving or working on the computer frustrating. Dry eye can affect your personal and professional life.

Types of Dry Eye

Evaporative Dry Eye, accounting for 86% of all dry eye: caused by blockage to the eyelid glands (meibomian glands) which leads to a shortage of oil on the surface of the tears and quicker than normal tear evaporation
Aqueous Dry Eye, accounting for 14% of all dry eye: occurs when the lacrimal glands do not produce enough tears

Dry eye is often under-diagnosed, especially in the early stages. To provide a quicker diagnosis, our doctors use InflammaDry® technology to detect elevated levels of an inflammatory marker (MMP-9). This quick in-office test allows for prompt treatment and may help reduce complications of dry eye.

Treatment for Dry Eye

For some patients, over the counter or prescription eye drops will provide relief for dry eye symptoms. However, if these are ineffective you may need to have an eye doctor assess your situation and determine the root cause of your dry eye. Knowing the reason for your dry eye symptoms is the only way to successfully treat this condition. After a comprehensive assessment, our Buffalo Grove, IL, dry eye specialists may recommend:

Artificial tears
Medicated eye drops such as RESTASIS® or Xiidra® to increase tear production
Punctal plugs to prevent tear drainage from the eyes

If you are suffering with dry eye symptoms, contact us today to schedule an eye exam and learn about your options for relief.