Dry Eye Care at Eye 1st Vision Center
When your eyes suffer from chronic dryness, you've got an annoying, potentially damaging problem on your hands. Dry eye can occur for a variety of reasons, but the end result is always uncomfortable, distracting, and unhealthy. That's why you need to get that case of dry eye properly diagnosed and treated -- and the place to do it Eye 1st Vision Center, your trusted source for dry eye care in Sandy Springs and surrounding communities.
A Threat to Eye Health and Comfort
Ideally, your eyes are covered by a thin film known as the tear film with every blink (which activates the tear glands). This tear film is more complex than you might realize, contain a three-layered combination of mucous, water, and oil. The oil is added to the top of the tear film by eyelid glands known as meibomian glands, and it helps keep the water from drying up too quickly. Without sufficient tear film, you face challenges to eye health and everyday comfort alike. For one thing, your eyes lose a degree of protection against outside agents such as germs or dust, making the corneas vulnerable to damage. For another, you may experience irritating symptoms such as:
- Itchy eyes
- Eye redness
- A "foreign body" feeling in the eyes
- Light sensitivity
- A feeling of heaviness or fatigue in the eyes
- Blurry vision
In many cases, dry is simply a matter of tear underproduction. This problem may be related to age-related dryness, medications that promote dryness, or medical problems that have a drying effect on the tissues. Contact lenses can make dry eyes even more dry. Fans, wind, or excessive computer use can dry the eyes quickly. In some cases, only the oil layer is insufficient, a result of meibomian gland blockages.
Diagnosis and Treatment at Our Optometry Center
Visit our optometry center to get your dry eye issues under control. Either eye doctor on our team can analyze your symptoms, ask you about your lifestyle and medical history, check your tear production, and study the balance of oils to other tear film components. This gives us the information we need to recommend treatments such as:
- Eye drops/artificial tears
- Wind-blocking eyewear, or better control of indoor air movement
- Changes to your computer habits, current medication list, or treatment for underlying conditions
- Techniques to release blocked meibomian glands
- A switch to moisture-retaining contact lenses
Schedule an Appointment With Your Sandy Springs Optometrist
Our Sandy Springs optometrist at Eye 1st Vision Center is ready to help you tackle your dry eye dilemma. Give your eyes what they need by calling (404) 252-1702 and scheduling an evaluation!