Dry Eye Clinic
Anne Arundel Eye Center’s state-of-the-art Dry Eye Clinic is committed to finding the best solution for your dry eye symptoms. If you’re experiencing eye pain, blurry vision, or dry, watery eyes, these could be signs of dry eye disease. With a comprehensive eye exam, our team evaluates your vision and eye health to develop an individualized treatment plan designed to address your specific needs and provide lasting relief.
What are the Symptoms of Dry Eye Disease?
If you are suffering from dry eye disease, you may notice any of the following symptoms:
- A burning or scratchy sensation in your eyes
- Stringy mucus in or around your eyes
- Irritated or overly-watery eyes
- Sensitivity to light or photophobia
- Eye redness, blurred vision, or eye fatigue
- A sensation of having something in your eyes
- Difficulty wearing contact lenses
Dry Eye Treatment
You don’t have to live with the uncomfortable symptoms of dry eye disease or continue using eye drops multiple times a day. By pairing Forma-I and Lumecca-I, your symptoms can be managed effectively and efficiently, restoring your quality of life.
By combing these two FDA approved technologies, most patients will have a significant improvement with their dry eye symptoms, often reducing or even eliminating the need for drops and ointments.
Using hand-held devices, these non-invasive procedures are a safe, gentle and effective treatment for MGD (meibomian gland disease). Pairing the use of Forma-I and Lumecca-I over a series of at least 4 treatments, we can reduce your dry eye symptoms long term. Based on your specific diagnosis, we may recommend iLux single treatment as an alternative solution.
Not only will it give you dry eye relief, but all of these treatments are proven to tighten the skin around your eyes, reducing fine lines and wrinkles.
When you come to Anne Arundel Eye Center for this treatment, we will first perform a consultation with one of our doctors to determine if you are a good candidate and would benefit from the treatment. If we determine that Forma-I, Lumecca-I or iLux are the appropriate treatment method for you, our specially trained technicians will administer the procedure. They’ve undergone intense training to become specialists in administering these technologies, and work under the step-by-step guidance with our doctors.
If you think you would benefit from these procedures, know that while the consultation is covered by insurance, the treatment itself is out of pocket. However, you can use your healthcare flex dollars or HSA account funds to cover the expense.
What Is Dry Eye Disease?
Dry eye disease is a common eye condition that occurs when there is an issue with any one of the three components of your tears. Your tears are made up of 3 distinct layers, all of which work together to keep your eyes healthy:
- The oily layer prevents your tears from evaporating too quickly
- The watery layer delivers nutrients to your eyes
- The mucus layer keeps your tear film stuck to the surface of your eyes
What are the 2 Types of Dry Eye Disease?
Evaporative Dry Eye (EDE)
EDE is the most common type of dry eye disease. This type of dry eye occurs when you lack the proper amount of oil in your tears. When this happens, your tears can evaporate too quickly, drying out your eyes.
In some cases, EDE can be caused by meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), a disorder where the meibomian glands in your eyes become blocked, limiting the amount of oil being produced for your tears.
Aqueous Tear Deficiency (ATD)
If you suffer from ATD, your eyes lack the aqueous layer in your tears. This means that your eyes aren’t producing enough tears to keep the eye moist, which can lead to irritating and uncomfortable symptoms.
Causes of Dry Eye: Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and Blepharitis
While Dry Eye Syndrome can be caused by an array of factors, such as age, medication side-effects, or long-term contact use, Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) and Blepharitis are two underlying conditions that can bring about Dry Eye symptoms.
Every time you blink, a protective layer of moisture called the tearfilm coats the front surface of your eye. An essential part of the tearfilm is an oily layer called meibum. MGD occurs when the meibomian glands that produce meibum get blocked or the secreted meibum is of poor quality which can lead to excessive evaporation of the tear film and dry eye symptoms. MGD is actually one of the most common causes of dry eye, as it has been shown to occur in over 85% of disease cases.
Blepharitis is an inflammation of the eyelid and eyelash structures, and while it is uncomfortable, it usually does not cause permanent eye damage. Anterior blepharitis, along the front edge of the eyelid, is typically caused by either a bacterial or skin condition such as dandruff of the scalp and eyebrows or acne rosacea. Posterior blepharitis, which is on the inner edge of the eyelid that comes into contact with the eyeball, is usually caused by an irregular production of oils by the glands along the eyelid margin (meibomian blepharitis). Those with blepharitis may experience itching or burning of the eyes, tearing, or dry eye symptoms.