Dry Eye in Wellington, FL
Having dry eyes once in a while might not be a concern, but frequent dry eyes can affect your everyday life. Dry eye is a condition that can cause eye irritation and other symptoms. While there are different ways to treat this condition, you’ll need to find out what is causing it first. Our optometrists at Family Vision Center P.A. in Wellington can determine the cause of your dry eyes and provide you with treatment to relieve these symptoms.
Dry Eye Symptoms
When you have dry eye, you’ll most likely have symptoms in both eyes rather than just in one eye. Dry eye can cause your eyes to sting or burn. You might also have a scratchy feeling in your eyes, or it might feel like you have something in them that you can’t get rid of. When you have this condition, your eyes might also look red or have mucus in them. Other symptoms of this condition include increased light sensitivity, discomfort when wearing contact lenses and blurry vision. Your eyes might feel tired, and you might actually have watery eyes as your body tries to ease eye irritation.
Causes of Dry Eye
Since dry eyes can occur for different reasons, it’s important to understand what can cause this condition. Our optometrists will be able to diagnose this condition and determine the underlying cause in order to treat it. You might have dry eyes due to decreased tear production, which can happen with age or if you have certain medical conditions, such as thyroid problems. Some medications can also cause dry eye symptoms.
Dry eye can occur if your tears evaporate too quickly. This can happen if you have eye allergies, eyelid problems or meibomian gland dysfunction. You might also have dry eyes due to fast tear evaporation if you are exposed to smoke, wind or dry air regularly or if you don’t blink often enough throughout the day. Keep in mind that being over 50, wearing contact lenses, being a woman or being at risk of a vitamin A deficiency can all increase your risk of having dry eyes from increased tear evaporation or decreased tear production.
Treatment Options for Dry Eye
Over-the-counter artificial tears might provide you with enough relief if you have occasional dry eyes or mild dry eye symptoms. However, you might need to explore other treatment options if your dry eye symptoms become worse or more persistent. You should see our optometrists at Family Vision Center P.A. to find out what is causing your dry eye and how to treat it. Several treatment options are available.
Underlying Conditions
Treating underlying medical conditions or switching medication might offer relief from dry eye symptoms. If an eyelid condition is causing your symptoms, procedures to correct these conditions can be done.
Medication
Prescription medications that reduce eyelid inflammation or cornea inflammation might ease dry eye symptoms. Other medication options include prescription eye inserts and medications that stimulate tear production.
Procedures
Having your tear ducts plugged to slow tear evaporation or unblocking your oil glands might relieve dry eyes. Other options might include light therapy and specialized contact lenses for dry eye.
When to See an Eye Doctor About Dry Eyes
You might have dry eyes after being outside on a windy day or being in other environments that irritate your eyes. If this only happens occasionally or hardly at all, you might not need to seek treatment. However, you should see one of our eye doctors if you experience dry eye symptoms on a regular basis, especially if over-the-counter or at-home treatments do not provide relief. Our eye doctors in Wellington, FL can help you find treatment that relieves your symptoms more effectively.
Effective Dry Eye Treatment in Wellington
If you need treatment for dry eyes, please contact Family Vision Center P.A. to make an appointment with one of our optometrists. We can help you find an effective way to ease dry eye symptoms for improved comfort.