WHAT IS DRY EYE SYNDROME?

Dry eye or dry eye syndrome is a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in symptoms of discomfort, irritation, foreign body sensation, redness, and fluctuating vision.

There are two types of dry eyes - evaporative and aqueous deficient. In an evaporative dry eye, the tears on the eyes are evaporating too quickly and thus are not there to lubricate the surface of your eyes. In aqueous deficient dry eye, not enough tears are being made by the body to maintain the health of your eyes. Most dry eye syndrome is a combination of both types.


WHAT CAUSES DRY EYES?


Tears are made up of three components, a disruption in any of the components can lead to signs and symptoms of dry eyes. The aqueous layer is our water layer, this keeps our eyes hydrated. The oil layer is produced by our oil glands that are underneath the skin on both our top and bottom lid. The oil layer...

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Tears are made up of three components, a disruption in any of the components can lead to signs and symptoms of dry eyes. The aqueous layer is our water layer, this keeps our eyes hydrated. The oil layer is produced by our oil glands that are underneath the skin on both our top and bottom lid. The oil layer prevents evaporation of the water layer, allowing tears to stay on the eye longer. Finally there is the mucous layer, this layer consists of proteins that work to keep the tears healthy and clear.

A disruption in any of the layers can cause the salt concentration of our tears to increase and cause inflammation. Disruptions result for many factors, both inside and outside the body:

Dry eye is an inflammatory condition. Inflammation occurring inside the body causes symptoms like dry skin, dry eyes, and dry lips. Inflammation leads to decrease in tear production and also causes our glands to be clogged. Aging results in reduced tear flow and decrease in health of our oil glands.




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WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT DURING THE FIRST EXAM?

Environmental factors can also exacerbate dry eyes. These include:

Not blinking enough - blinking activates our oil and tear glands. If blinking is inconsistent, our oil glands can become clogged. Did you know that studies show that blink rate reduces when you are on the computer?

Low humidity - unfortunately California is has a very dry climate which increases the likelihood of dry eyes

Windy environments

Contact lenses - soft contact lenses use tears from our eyes to keep the lens moist

Excessive computer work 

Medications - some medications such as antihistamines for allergy and acne medications have dry eye as a known side effect.   

PUNCTAL OCCLUSION TREATMENT 

One treatment of severe dry eye is punctal plug occlustion.

watch video here


MIBO THERMOFLO

We have added an excellent new therapy to our dry eye treatment center. By using the Mibo Thermoflo device offers a relaxing and effective treatment experience for our dry eye patients. Dr. Ha herself gets this treatment done monthly. 


CAN COMPUTER USE CAUSE DRY EYES? 


FAQ

1. What is dilation and why is it important?

Dilation is when medical eye drops are placed in...

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1. What is dilation and why is it important?

Dilation is when medical eye drops are placed in the eye by our doctors. These drops open up the pupil making so we can thoroughly assess the health or the back of the eye. The drops also help relax the focusing system in the eye revealing a person’s true prescription. At their first eye exam, the standard of care is that all patients are dilated. This allows our doctors to properly assess the health of the back of the eye to rule out ocular diseases. Most children have a strong focusing system, so the drops also allows us to get a reading of their true prescription that could be hiding due to their focusing system being involved. Drops are safe for infants and children.

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2. Why was my child prescribed glasses?

Glasses are prescribed when the eyes are too strong or too...

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2. Why was my child prescribed glasses?

Glasses are prescribed when the eyes are too strong or too weak to see well. This allows for normal development of their eyes and will help them with learning in the classroom. When they are not wearing glasses it’s similar to having to carry a weight all day, even if they are able to do it successfully, overtime it will cause strain and complications. Glasses will decrease their visual workload, so your child will be able to focus on succeeding in school, sports, and social activities.

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3. What is the difference between full-time vs. part-time wear?

Part-time wear is usually recommended when your...

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3. What is the difference between full-time vs. part-time wear?

Part-time wear is usually recommended when your child has a low prescription. They can use help in the classroom setting. Their visual system benefits from having glasses, but their vision is acceptable without glasses, so they do not have to wear them when playing outdoors or with certain activities. Full-time wear is recommended when your child’s vision needs glasses to have usable vision in one or both eyes. Glasses are necessary for them for all activities in and outside the classroom. In many cases, wearing glasses is necessary for visual development. If our optometrist recommends glasses full time, the patient should be wearing them for all waking activities except for showering.

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4. What is an appropriate age for my child to wear contact lenses?

Contact lenses are approved for all ages. For some...

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4. What is an appropriate age for my child to wear contact lenses?

Contact lenses are approved for all ages. For some children, contact lenses are medically necessary due to high prescriptions or vision imbalances that are more effectively treated with contacts. For normal soft lenses, we recommend any age that your child is mature enough to understand the importance of hygiene and responsibility. For some children that may be age 7, for others it may be in their teenage years. For children and teens, daily disposable contact lenses are always recommended in order to reduce the risk of infections and complications.

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5. What are some healthy visual habits that my child should be doing?

Our optometrists recommended taking breaks with near...

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5. What are some healthy visual habits that my child should be doing?

Our optometrists recommended taking breaks with near work. For every 20 minutes your child is reading or on a device, we recommend taking a 20 second break to look at something far away. Studies have shown a correlation between long periods of near work and development of nearsightedness. Spending more time outdoors has been shown to be protective against the development of nearsightedness. We also advise reducing screen time on devices if possible. The World Health Organization recommends limiting or eliminating screen time for all children under 5 years old. For children under 1 years old, no screen time is recommended. For children from 2-5, 1 hour or less of high quality screen time is recommended.

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6. Will glasses make my child’s eyes worse?

No, studies show that wearing glasses will not make ...

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6. Will glasses make my child’s eyes worse?

No, studies show that wearing glasses will not make your child’s eyes worse. The eye is changing and growing as your child grows, this occurs in all children. When this happens, their prescription may change. This may cause their prescription to increase or decrease. This process occurs whether or not your child wears glasses. In fact, studies show that undercorrection (your child not wearing glasses), actually causes their prescription to get worse at a faster rate.

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7. What is a normal change in prescription vs. an alarming change?

As your child grows we expect that their eyes will also be ...

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7. What is a normal change in prescription vs. an alarming change?

As your child grows we expect that their eyes will also be growing. As their eyes grow, their prescription has the potential to change. For nearsighted (myopic) children, any change in their prescription can be alarming since each step increases their risk for complications in the future. Our optometrists recommend myopia control treatments to help slow down their prescription if any change is seen. Treatment becomes more alarming and necessary if the prescription is changing by more than -0.50D.

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8. What are some common vision problems beyond 20/20?

Another aspect of the visual system that is checked at every...

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8. What are some common vision problems beyond 20/20?

Another aspect of the visual system that is checked at every pediatric eye examination is your child’s ability to use both eyes together. Normal binocular vision means that both eyes are being used simultaneously, equally and accurately as a coordinated team. If binocular vision is not occurring, your child may experience symptoms such as eye strain, headaches, and/or double vision. Symptoms can start at any age. Some diagnoses include:

1. Convergence insufficiency - the inability to effectively focus on a near target due to the deficiency in being able to bring the eyes inwards
2. Accommodative dysfunction - the focusing system in the eye is not able to effectively increase power to focus on a near target

3. Strabismus - one of the eye muscles is underacting, causing the eye to be turned, either constantly or intermittently. The most common strabismus is when the one or both eyes intermittently turns outwards.

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Eyecon Optometry

📞 818-345-2010

📠 818-345-2070

✉ info@eyeconsee.com

📌 7217 Reseda Blvd.,

     Reseda, CA 91335

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Mission Hills

📞    818-361-4020

✉ Missionhills@eyeconsee.com

📌 15336 Devonshire st., Suite 4, 

        Mission Hills, CA 91345

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Friday-Saturday : 8:30 am - 5:00 pm

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