Dry Eyes

As many as 49 million people in the United States live with eye itchiness and irritation due to dry eyes. To help you find long-lasting relief from dry eye symptoms, experienced optometrist Vladimir Dvoretsky, OD, at Vistasite Eye Care, provides complete eye exams and customized treatment services. He can prescribe moisturizing eyedrops and other therapies to increase your eye comfort and help you see clearly again. Call the office in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan, New York, to schedule a diagnostic evaluation for symptoms of dry eyes, or book an appointment online today.

What are dry eyes?

Dry eyes develop when your body doesn’t produce enough tears to lubricate your eyes. You might also experience chronic dry eyes if you can make tears, but they aren’t high-quality.

Without sufficient tears, your eyes can’t flush away dust and other irritants, leaving them persistently dry and irritated. Other symptoms of dry eyes include:

• Redness
• Burning
• Blurry vision
• Gritty feeling in the eye
• Increased light sensitivity

If you have any of these symptoms, schedule a diagnostic evaluation at Vistasite Eye Care. The team offers complete eye exams to identify the cause of your dry eyes.

How are dry eyes diagnosed?

During an eye exam, your Vistasite Eye Care provider works closely with you to determine what environmental or lifestyle factors might trigger your dry eye symptoms.

You may be at risk for dry eyes due to:

• Aging
• Seasonal allergies
• Tear duct damage
• Use of certain medications
• Exposure to smoke, chemicals, and other environmental irritants

You might also experience temporary dry eyes after laser eye surgery, such as LASIK.

Your Vistasite Eye Care provider can also assess the quality of your tears. They numb your eyes before placing a paper strip inside your lower eyelids. After removing the paper, they measure how much moisture has collected on the paper.

Once your optometrist understands what’s causing your dry eyes, they customize a care plan to keep your eyes moisturized and healthy.

How are dry eyes treated?

For mild to moderate symptoms of dry eyes, the Vistasite Eye Care providers may recommend over-the-counter artificial tears to keep your eyes healthy and your vision clear. If these drops aren’t sufficient, you may benefit from prescription-strength eyedrops.

You may also need to make lifestyle changes to avoid irritants in the air. For instance, if you work around chemicals or smoke, you may need to wear protective goggles.

When you have seasonal allergies or other medical conditions contributing to dry eye symptoms, speak with your family doctor about possible treatments.

If you have damage to your tear ducts, your provider can discuss your options for treating them with medications or surgery.

Call Vistasite Eye Care to learn more about the available treatment options for dry eyes, or book an appointment online today.