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Dry Eye Treatment

Advanced Care of Dry Eye and Ocular Surface Disease

At our ophthalmology clinic in arid Durango, Colorado, dry eye may be one of the most common conditions we treat. When your eyes feel excessively dry, scratchy, or uncomfortable, it can be tough to focus on much else. At Four Corners Eye Clinic, our physicians offer a full range of dry eye treatment options, from simple prescription drops to advanced in-office procedures. See why dry eye patients from Colorado, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and the entire Four Corners region trust us for their eye care.

What Is Dry Eye?

The name of this condition is pretty self-explanatory: It is an uncomfortable condition that makes the eyes feel noticeably dry. Although dry eye can be a side effect of certain medications or other medical conditions, very often it develops on its own. Tears play a vital role in eye health, so if you’re struggling with dry eye, it’s important to have your condition medically evaluated and treated.

Types of Dry Eye

Generally speaking, the symptoms of dry eye can be related to the quality or quantity of tear production. To understand dry eye, it’s important to understand how the eye lubricates itself and the purpose tears serve.

Tears aren’t just salt water. Instead, they contain 3 layers: an outermost oily layer, a watery middle layer, and an innermost mucus-based layer. The mucus layer helps distribute the tear across the eye with each blink, while the oil layer prevents the tear from evaporating too quickly.

Every time you blink, your tears refresh your eyes anew, providing important lubrication and protection from foreign matter. Once the tears have served their purpose, they’re drained through small ducts in the corners of the eyes.

Although 3 different glands around the eyes produce the 3 components of tears, a malfunction in the lacrimal glands, which produce the watery component, is often responsible for dry eye.

Symptoms & Risk Factors

Symptoms of dry eye can be quite varied, but they often include 1 or more of the following:

• Feeling as if you have something in your eye
• Bothersome stinging or burning sensations
• Trouble wearing your contact lenses
• Occasional blurry vision, pain, or redness
• Eyes that are easily fatigued when reading, driving, or working on the computer

Dry eye tends to affect older adults, although it can occur at any age. In addition to certain medications, such as decongestants and antidepressants, dry eye symptoms can be caused by hormonal fluctuations, medical conditions such as diabetes, or environmental and lifestyle factors including living in a dry or windy climate or spending a lot of time on the computer.

Treatment Options

Although dry eye isn’t typically a sight-threatening condition, it can be quite uncomfortable and lead to infection and other secondary conditions. When you visit Four Corners Eye Clinic, your physician carefully examines your eyes, including the skin surrounding the eyes and the movements your eyes make when you blink. Depending on the cause and severity of your symptoms, your physician may recommend 1 or a combination of the following treatments:

• Prescription or over-the-counter drops: There are a number of different lubricating eye products on the market today, including drugstore artificial tears and prescription-only products that reduce inflammation in addition to adding moisture. Your physician can recommend the one that’s best for you.
• In-office procedures: Most in-office procedures for dry eye are quick, comfortable, and effective. These range from temporarily plugging the drainage ducts to expressing the glands that produce the oil component of tears. These glands can occasionally become clogged and create dry eye symptoms.
• LipiFlow®: This FDA-cleared device works to open and clear the glands that produce the oil needed for a healthy tear film. Four Corners Eye Clinic is the only ophthalmology practice in the area that offers this treatment. By opening the glands and removing blockages, allowing the lipid layer of the eye to function properly. The treatment only takes 12 minutes and feels like a gentle eyelid massage. Results are long-lasting and most patients continue to experience the benefits for a year or more after treatment.

• Home care: There are some steps you can take on your own to reduce the symptoms of dry eye. These include making an effort to blink more frequently, especially when you’re working on the computer, investing in high-quality sunglasses that shield your eyes from the wind as well as sun, and taking care to remove all of your eye makeup and thoroughly wash your face at the end of the day.

Dry Eye Specialists

We offer dry eye patients in Durango, Pagosa Springs, and Cortez, CO, and near Farmington, NM, a comprehensive evaluation to help not only address the symptoms but the underlying causes of dry eye. We emphasize the importance of patient education and home care to help address your eye care needs. During your dry eye exam, we dedicate additional time to allow us to thoroughly evaluate all aspects of the tear film, identify the contributing factors to your dry eye symptoms, and assess the surface and structure of the eye and surrounding tissue to help properly provide treatment.

If you require specialized care for your dry eye care, including pathology on the ocular surface or surrounding tissue, Dr. Linda Rose, a cornea and external disease specialist, is available to provide advanced care.

Advanced Dry Eye Treatment Options

If you require more advanced treatment for dry eye, we offer advanced options to treat more severe cases of dry eye:

• LipiFlow®
• Amniotic membrane placement
• Bandage contact lenses
• Reversible punctual plugs
• Compounded specialty mediations
• Autologous serum
• BOTOX®

We want to help you see and feel your very best. Request an appointment online, or call Four Corners Eye Clinic at (970) 259-2202 to schedule your visit.

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