You Don’t Have to Live With Dry Eyes Anymore

Nearly 16 million Americans have dry eye, including just under 5 million older women and men. Dry eye isn’t just uncomfortable — it can leave you at risk for serious eye infections, too.

As a leading eye doctor in Reston, Virginia, Soheila Rostami, MD, at Rostami OPC uses advanced techniques to diagnose and treat dry eye, relieving uncomfortable symptoms while helping your eyes stay healthy. Here’s how she can help you relieve your dry eye symptoms.

Dry eye: Mechanisms and symptoms

It’s easy to think of tears as simply an emotional response to stressors. But actually, your tears perform some really important functions to maintain your eye health. Not only do your tears help keep your eyes lubricated, but they also flush away irritants and germs.

There are three main “reasons” for dry eye syndrome:

• Your eyes don’t produce enough tears
• Your tears evaporate too quickly
• Your tears are too thin to lubricate your eyes

Dry eye syndrome can affect anyone, but you’re more likely to develop the condition if you:

• Are 50 or older
• Are a woman
• Have certain autoimmune conditions
• Have a vitamin A deficiency
• Wear contact lenses regularly

You’re also more likely to develop dry eyes if you spend a lot of time in areas with airborne irritants, like smoke or chemical fumes, or if you spend long hours staring at a computer screen.

If you have dry eye, you’ll have symptoms like:

• Burning or itching sensations
• Eyes that look red
• Sensitivity to light
• Blurry vision
• Foreign body sensation (like something is sticking in your eye)

Symptoms get a lot worse the longer you delay treatment. If you delay too long, your cornea can become damaged and you might develop an eye infection.

Treating dry eyes

Treatment begins with a comprehensive eye exam to determine the cause of your dry eyes. During the exam, Dr. Rostami uses special techniques to evaluate the tear film and to examine how well it’s being distributed across the surface of the eyes. 

She also examines the corneas, looking for tiny scratches or other issues that need to be treated.

At the end of the exam, she prescribes custom treatment focused on providing long-term symptom relief while also improving your eye health. Depending on the cause of your dry eyes, your treatment might include:

• Lubricating eye drops or ointments
• Using a humidifier in dry environments
• Taking frequent breaks from computer use
• Using glasses instead of contact lenses
• Tear duct treatments to slow tear drainage

If you have an underlying medical issue like Sj?gren’s disease or ocular rosacea, your treatment plan will probably need to incorporate targeted treatments for those issues, as well.

Relieve your dry eye symptoms

Dry eyes are uncomfortable, but they also pose a danger to your eye health. But know this: There are plenty of treatment options to get rid of those painful symptoms and maintain healthy eyes and good vision. 

If you have dry eye symptoms, Dr. Rostami can help. Call the office or book an appointment online and learn how.