What’s The Best Solution For Dry Eyes?
Monday, June 12th, 2017, 10:00 amDry eyes can make you miserable; however, most people wait until it gets really unbearable before visiting their eye care professional. In fact, dry eye is one of the most under-diagnosed ocular diseases because people try to treat it on their own with over-the-counter drops that only offer temporary relief. Dry eye can cause major damage if left untreated by an opthomologist.
What is dry eye?
Dry eye is a disease that affects the production of tears. This disease can cause you to produce poor quality tears or not enough tears at all. We need tears to lubricate and nourish our eyes in order to provide clear vision and maintain the health of the ocular surface of the eyes. It’s important that dry eye is diagnosed by a professional through TearLab in order to provide the best treatment.
What is TearLab?
TearLab is an accredited dry eye centre that provides patients with accurate diagnosis and dry eye management. Dr. Skouras is one of a select few eye doctors in Toronto to offer TearLab, a part of the TearLab Osmolarity System. With only a small amount of tear film, Dr. Skouras is able to diagnose dry eye patients and provide them with a simple treatment plan that is tailored to their needs.
How is TearLab testing done?
Unlike traditional eye tests, TearLab uses non-invasive procedures to accurately diagnose dry eye. No anaesthetics are required, and the amount of tear film needed to perform the testing is so minute that it akin in size to a period at the end of a sentence.
When you visit Dr. Skouras for TearLab, a technician will collect the tears from the outer corner of the eyes. This is done by you tilting your head to the side and letting the tears fall into a small container. Then, the technician absorbs about 50 nanolitres of tears with a special handheld device. This tiny absorbed amount of tears is able to generate an osmolarity number to let the doctor know the severity of your dry eye. Moreover, the osmolarity number allows Dr. Skouras to create a treatment designed to fit your level of dry eye.
Once you have begun treatment, a follow-up appointment is necessary, and your tear osmolarity will be measured again.
Do you have dry eyes? Here are the symptoms:
- Blurred vision
- Redness to the whites of the eyes
- Burning and itching
- Sensitivity to light
- Watery eyes, excessive tearing
- Stringy mucous buildup around or in the eyes
- Feeling of a foreign body or grit or sand in the eye
- Eye fatigue
- Discomfort when wearing contact lenses
Category: General Eye Care
