Dry Eye

Dry Eye Treatment

Dry eye is very common, and it's not unusual for a person to have at least one encounter with dry eye in their life. That doesn't make the condition any less annoying, however, as it is uncomfortable and can affect your ability to see in some cases. Treatments are available that can at least make your eyes feel better, if not totally vanquish the condition. An optometrist at Texas Eye Center in Houston can help you tackle the condition before it becomes too annoying to bear.

.

Why You Have Dry Eye

Your eyes produce tears constantly. Normally, when you blink, your eyelids cause the tears to spread out over your eyeballs. The resulting film acts as a protective layer and lubricant between the eyeball and eyelid tissue. Sometimes the tear production goes haywire; maybe your tear glands are blocked or not producing enough moisture, or something has happened to the glands to make the tears produced of very poor quality. Tears are composed of a combination of substances including water and lipids, and one or more of these materials can be out of balance.

The result is that the lubricating and protecting layer on your eyeball either isn't there or is insufficient. Symptoms of dry eye include redness, swelling, blurry vision, gritty feelings, and possibly some discharge, although that could be a sign, too, of infection.

You can develop dry eye for a number of reasons. A medical condition or medication may affect your tear composition or production; an allergy may cause your tear ducts to swell and be temporarily blocked. Maybe the problem is that you're dealing with so many allergens or pollutants that your tear production is simply inadequate, and you have to increase your tear amounts. You might also find your tears drying up too quickly, which is a common problem in extremely low humidity.

Sometimes all you can do is wait out the cause; for example, if you're in an area where the humidity is really low, like a desert environment or even some areas of Texas during winter, all you can really do is use artificial tears along with other treatments recommended by an optometrist as you wait for the humidity to rise (assuming you're unable to travel out of the area).

Other causes can be treated quickly. If the problem is that tears are draining out too quickly from your eyes, an optometrist can insert small plugs that block drainage.

Dr. Tsegai Can Treat Dry Eye Conditions

At Texas Eye Center in Houston, Dr. Tsegai can help you find the right treatment for dry eye. Call us at 281-752-4100 and set up an appointment today.

Location

Location and Hours

11660 Westheimer Rd. Ste. 125 Houston, TX 77077, US

Monday  

10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Tuesday  

10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Wednesday  

11:00 am - 7:00 pm

Thursday  

10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Friday  

10:00 am - 6:00 pm

Saturday  

Select Saturdays By Appointment Only

Sunday  

Closed