As many as 49 million Americans have dry eyes today, including a large number of Las Vegas Valley residents. Experienced optometrist Aimee Noll, OD, treats this common condition from her Henderson, Nevada, practice. Get compassionate care for dry, sore, itchy, and irritated eyes by calling the office of Dr. Aimee Noll, OD, or clicking online booking now.
Dry Eye Q&A
Dry eye, aka dry eye syndrome or dry eye disease, is a condition that describes the inability to produce adequate quality tears.
Healthy eyes distribute a thin tear film across your corneas whenever you blink. This tear film maintains eye lubrication, flushes out dirt and debris, and protects your eyes from irritation. If you don’t have the right quality tear balance, you may have a variety of uncomfortable ocular issues.
Dry eye syndrome usually causes symptoms that include:
Severe dry eyes can be quite painful. It can interrupt your normal activities, making it very difficult to view a computer screen, read a book, drive, or do any other tasks comfortably.
In the most severe cases, you could develop corneal abrasions because you can’t wash debris out of your eyes. Corneal abrasions can turn into ulcers, open wounds that could potentially steal your eyesight, if you don’t get treatment.
There are a very large number of possible causes of dry eyes. Some of the most common triggers include:
Dry eyes are more common as you age, and most adults over the age of 65 experience this problem at some point.
With dry eye treatment, Dr. Noll focuses on creating a healthy tear film using conservative measures. Your treatment may include:
Eye drops can add artificial tears to lubricate your eyes.
Some prescription eye drops can increase the amount of tears you produce to help you develop a quality tear film.
Some treatments, such as insertable punctal plugs, prevent tear drainage. This conserves your own natural tears to improve lubrication.
If you have an underlying issue like MGD or blepharitis, Dr. Noll treats the triggering condition first, and the dry eyes typically resolve after that. Treatments for these underlying conditions can include eyelid massage, special eyelid cleansers, and other prescription options.
There are many different dry eye treatments available today, and one of them is ideal for your situation. Call the office of Dr. Aimee Noll, OD, or use the online appointment tool to set up your dry eye consultation now.
