Dry Eye Resource Center

Dry eyes can be visually and functionally debilitating.

Some signs and symptoms may include:

Stinging, burning, itching and scratchy feeling in your eyes

Redness in the eye

Light sensitivity

Foreign body sensation in one more both eyes

Excessive tearing or watering of the eyes when outdoors or indoors

Degraded visual quality

Pain in the eyes

When should I be seen?

See your eye doctor if you have any of the above symptoms for a prolonged period of time (over 1 month)

What Causes Dry Eyes?

Dry eyes can be caused by systemic problems (usually autoimmune diseases) such as Sjogren's syndrome, environmental factors, tear production problems, tear retention problems, or a combination of one or more of the above.

Treatment options?

For mild eye dryness - usually it can be as simple as using some supplemental eye drops that lubricate the eyes.

For moderate eye dryness - a prescription medication like Xiidra® or Restasis® may be used

For severe eye dryness - in office procedures such as punctal occlusion or meibommian gland (oil glands) preservation treatments have been shown to be extremely effective to help resolve symptoms . Examples of such treatment are TearCare® , or IPL treatments