Drs McIntyre, Garza, Avila and Jurica

I Have Dry eyes, What Does That Mean?

Dry eye disease happens when you don't have enough quality tears to moisturize and nourish the eyes. Your tears are responsible for maintaining a healthy surface and providing clear vision. Your tears are made up of three parts: a mucin layer, an aqueous (water) layer, and an oily layer. Any imbalance among these three layers often leads to dry eyes whether you have symptoms at first or not.

What Causes My Dry Eyes?

As previously mentioned, it is caused by having a poor quality of tears and the three layers are out of balance. Whether that be a lack of tears all together or a lack of oil that moisturizes the tears. This imbalance is often caused by the combination of inflammation and any one of these factors: - Age- Gender- Medications- Environment- Eye surgeries- Medical conditions - Nutrition and hydration

How Is Dry Eye Disease Diagnosed?

Usually dry eyes can be diagnosed during your annual eye examinations. However, some patients come in specifically because of dry eyes.

What Are My Options?

Historically, the treatment options were a countless list of trial and error of different eye drops. But today we narrow it down to two options: 1. Dry Eye Therapy in-office I.P.L. and L.L.L.T. treatment. Prescription eye drops (Miebo, Xiidra, Restasis). In severe cases: Punctal Plugs and Amniotic Membrane. 2. Home remedies Daily warm compresses using a heating eye mask.

What Works Best?

Your doctor will decide which is best depending on your specific eyes. However, the treatment we universally have seen the most success with is our IPL and LLLT treatment. This is because of two things. First, patients who prefer to try home remedies usually give up after two weeks due to not having the time or because of old habits.