Dry Eyes - Abrams Eye Institute

It seems like everyone today has dry eyes. But how dry are your eyes? And when are dry eyes more than just a nuisance?

Roughly 30 million people in the United States and over 300 million worldwide are diagnosed with dry eye. It is also very common in the dry, desert climate of Las Vegas and Southern Nevada. Most patients who see Dr. Jack Abrams and the team at Abrams Eye Institute have learned to live with eye discomfort and have become dependent on drops or other treatment methods that only offer temporary relief.

Dr. Abrams and his team have created the AEI Dry Eye Center of Excellence to help people find Dry Eye relief.

Dr. Jack Abrams demonstrates our dry eye treatment.

Symptoms of Dry Eye

Some common symptoms of dry eye include sensitivity to light, blurred vision, a burning sensation, or discomfort. It can also result in a lack of or an excess of tear production, which is necessary for overall eye health.

The most common form of Dry Eye is Evaporative Dry Eye, which affects 9 out of 10 (86%) Dry Eye cases. This form results from a shortage of oil in your tears caused by a blockage in your eyelid (Meibomian) glands, leading tears to evaporate faster than usual. This lack of tear oil is called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).

Blocked glands and slowed oil production can cause discomfort, fluctuating vision, reduced contact lens comfort, and the potential for worse symptoms following ocular surgery. If left untreated, meibomian gland blockage causes structural damage and gland loss. Once glands are lost, there is no known way to regenerate them.

Causes and Triggers

Many factors can increase the likelihood of developing dry eye symptoms.

Lifestyle – Smoking, diet, and activities that cause eyestrain can contribute to dry eye symptoms. For example, frequent use of computers and digital devices can cause evaporative stress by infrequent blinking. Infrequent blinking inhibits the function of the meibomian glands, which can ultimately lead to permanent damage to the gland structure. Similarly, reading or watching TV for long periods without taking breaks has been proven to deter a healthy blink rate. If MGD is present, dry eye symptoms can increase.
Infrequent or Incomplete Blinking – Blinking activates the meibomian glands. A low or incomplete blink rate can cause MGD and dry eye symptoms.
Contact Lens Wear – The simple presence of a contact lens on the eye disrupts the tears, accelerates the progression of MGD, and aggravates dry eye symptoms.
Eye Surgery – Eye surgery compromises the eye’s surface, often causing dry eye symptoms. Untreated MGD can exacerbate a compromised eye surface. Your ophthalmologist will prescribe you medical eye drops to alleviate the symptoms until they dissipate.
Glaucoma and Medications – Over 40% of patients with Glaucoma have dry eye symptoms. Daily use of certain glaucoma medications can disrupt the tears, exacerbate MGD, and worsen dry eye symptoms. Antihistamines, decongestants, and blood pressure medications can also aggravate dry eye symptoms.
Climate and Environment – Conditions such as wind, smoke, or dry climates increase dry eye symptoms for those with MGD. Air conditioning or dry heat can also contribute to eye discomfort indoors.

INTERVENTION AND PREVENTION

The Abrams Eye Institute team uses a series of evaluations to determine if you have MGD and to discover more about the causes of your dry eye symptoms so that you can choose the best treatment option.

While it is essential to seek treatment from an eye care professional if you experience any symptoms of MGD or dry eye, you can also adopt simple lid hygiene practices. For the same reasons it is essential to brush your teeth to prevent plaque build-up, you need to periodically clean your lids to ensure they are free from debris and excess oils that, over time, can clog the meibomian glands and lead to eye discomfort and MGD.

Lid hygiene may include:

Eyelid scrubs for lids and lashes
In-office debridement/scaling performed by an eye care professional
Blink evaluation, training, and exercises

Treatments for Dry Eye Relief

Your eye care professional may provide various options for the treatment of Dry Eye and MGD, including some of the following:

Ocular Lubricants or Prescription Eye Drops temporarily relieve dry eye symptoms by adding fluid to the eye.
Punctal Plugs are inserted into the tear ducts to block the outflow of tears, keeping the tears in the eyes.
Eyelid scrubs remove debris from the eyelashes and lid margins. Lid hygiene is vital to maintaining the health of the meibomian glands and the eye’s surface. Good lid hygiene requires cleaning the lashes and lid margins regularly. It is also essential to have good oral hygiene, like brushing and flossing your teeth regularly.
Warm/Hot Compresses heat the eyelids from the front surface. However, it is not easy to achieve and sustain the level of heat needed to treat MGD using front surface heating. Compliance with the daily use of compresses is an essential part of this therapy.
Omega 3 Oils suppress systemic inflammation, which contributes to dry eye symptoms.

Lipiflow

At the heart of the AEI Dry Eye Center of Excellence is a revolutionary new treatment called Lipiflow. Now, with the breakthrough LipiFlow® technology, it’s possible to treat the root cause of MGD directly.

While multiple choices are available for treating MGD, LipiFlow is the only FDA-cleared device for removing gland blockages and restoring gland function. It is the preferred method of treatment used by Abrams Eye Institute. Through advances in the application of Vectored Thermal Pulsation (VTPTM) technology, the LipiFlow treatment utilizes a patented algorithm of heat applied to the inner eyelids and massage to remove the obstructions in your meibomian glands.

Our Dye Eye technology comes from over 25 years of research into the cause of Dry Eye. We’ve completed over 25,000 treatments for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and Dry Eye symptoms with our treatment, including patients in a randomized, controlled, multi-center clinical trial. The randomized, controlled trial showed statistically significant improvement, on average, for the number of Meibomian glands releasing clear liquid (oil).

Punctal Occlusion

Punctal Occlusion is a common treatment offered in our Las Vegas clinic. It treats chronic dry eyes by plugging or blocking some of a person’s small tear-draining openings, called puncta, restricting the flow of tears out of the eye and ca. This restricts the flow of tears out of the eye and causes them to pool up in the eye longer.

There are two main types of punctal occlusion: punctal plugs and punctal cautery.

Punctal plugs are the more common type of punctal occlusion.

Punctal plugs close up a couple of a person’s four puncta, so tears do not escape as quickly. Collagen punctal plugs eventually dissolve on their own and are usually used before silicone plugs are placed. By testing with collagen plugs first, ophthalmologists can make sure that the plugs will help solve the person’s dry eye problems before they try more evasive methods.

The other main method of punctal occlusion involves an ophthalmologist surgically and permanently cauterizing a person’s tear ducts closed. This is a permanent solution that, while more invasive than punctal plugs, ensures that people who are effectively helped by punctal occlusion have their dry eye problems solved once and for all in a single treatment.

BlephEx™

The BlephEx™ procedure is a professional eyelid cleaning technique that addresses conditions like blepharitis and dry eye syndrome. Here’s how it works:

Targeted Cleansing: The procedure focuses on thoroughly cleansing the eyelids, explicitly targeting the base of the eyelashes and the tear glands. These areas tend to accumulate bacteria, biofilm, and debris.

Spinning Micro-Sponge: Your eye care professional uses a specialized handheld device with a spinning micro-sponge tip. This tip gently exfoliates the eyelid margins, effectively removing excess bacteria, biofilm, and debris.

Benefits of BlephEx™:

Eyelid Hygiene: BlephEx removes sources of irritation, promoting long-term eye health and helping prevent conditions like blepharitis.

Symptom Relief: It provides relief from symptoms associated with eyelid inflammation.

Cost-Effective: The procedure is well-tolerated and only takes a few minutes, potentially saving patients money on prescription drops and artificial tears.

Costs of Dry Eye Treatment

Because Dr. Abrams is a leading expert in ophthalmology and dry eye treatment, he has greater access to new technology, like our treatment system. This allows us to offer treatment at a lower cost than most other centers. The treatment is performed right in your doctor’s office and, sometimes, on the same day as your evaluation. Imagine Just a short time after successful treatment with our system; you may go long periods without thinking about your eyes. You may no longer have to plan your day around your symptoms. After a few weeks, you may even start to forget about how much the condition was controlling your life.

How Do Patients Like Our Dry Eye Treatment?

The team at Abrams Eye Institute has had great success in treating dry eyes. Here are some stories from people who have benefited from the simple procedure:

“It works! My life was taken over by dry eye syndrome; corneal erosions resulted in corneal derailment- most painful experience I have ever had! Now after a month ago my eyes have improved weekly, the feeling of moisture in my eyes again is wonderful!! Now I see light at end of tunnel! The treatment & support I received during my treatment & I after care was fantastic! I have got my life back!!”

“It works! I suffered for over three years of severe dried eyes. Restasis did not work for me. Finally, I decided to take a different path and invest in the only treatment available. This is one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!”

“I suffered from Dry Eye for 14-years and up until learning about MGD, I was living in what I called “dry-eye hell.” I had to wear sunglasses all the time because my eyes were very sensitive to light. When I walked out of the doctor’s office from my first treatment, I didn’t need sunglasses. I’ve now received two additional treatments over the course of 4-years. My eyes don’t hurt anymore.”

“I’ve battled severe dry eye for years, and know first-hand the anxiety and unhappiness that come along with it. Before, there was no safe or effective way to manage my type of dry eye disease. I’ve been having treatments regularly for several years, and I know it’s making my life better, because I think about my eyes less than I have in ages. It’s easier to read a book, stare at a movie screen and enjoy time with my friends and family. Dry eye sufferers have a lot of tools in our chest these days, and dry eye treatment has become the linchpin of my medical regimen.”

“I am now at 4 months after my treatment and I feel super! I no longer use eye drops during the day and use limited drops at night. Comfort is what I notice most. The treatment itself was pleasant and it’s nice not to depend on wetting solutions for eye lubrication. I noticed a maximum improvement in my eyes 8 to 10 weeks after the treatment and that has maintained.”

“I’ve had dry eye for several years and it evolved to a point where I could hardly tolerate it. I was tested on what type of dry eye I have and found out I was a candidate for dry eye treatment. I got my treatment that same day. The treatment felt very comfortable. Now I have no pain in my eyes, light doesn’t bother me as much, my life is different. I am grateful.”

“I have suffered from dry eye for more than 36 months, and spend on average about $100 per month. Dry eye hindered me from enjoying my leisure time and hobbies. I would recommend dry eye treatment to friends with dry eye.”

“Within three days of receiving the procedure, I noticed that my eyes are not nearly as tired, red or watery as they were before. A week later, I noticed significant improvement and as a result, my eyes are not as dry. I can concentrate on completing a task for longer than before.”

“Now I’m Back To Being Active. I Can Run, I Can Bike Ride. I Have An 8-Year-Old And Can Do All The Things That I Want To Do With Him. I Couldn’t Do A Lot Of That Before. It’s Changed My Life. It Really Has.”

“The Realization That I Was Benefiting From The Procedure Came In The Fact That I Wasn’t Thinking About My Eyes.”-