Question 1

How do I know that I have Dry Eye?

Accepted Answer

There are many symptoms that you may experience if you have Dry Eyes. Some of them are dryness, scratchiness, grittiness, sandiness, watering, blurriness, red or inflamed eyes, and eye pain. We start with a standardized questionnaire followed by a dry eye evaluation where our optometrists will assess the cause of your symptoms so that they can direct you on the best treatment approach.

Question 2

What is in-office heating and expression of the meibomian glands using the Thermal One Touch?

Accepted Answer

The Thermal 1-Touch device allows treatment of obstructed meibomian glands by heating the eyelid surfaces and applying a pulsating force to express the glands. The only way to treat Meibomian Gland disease (MGD) is to get the glands working again; the glands need to be expressed, as they have been blocked and are not functioning. Manual expression without targeted heat works to some extent, but heating the glands makes for the best results. Thermal 1-Touch is a procedure that places a device onto the eye, heats the glands to the specific temperature needed to melt the oils internally, 108-110°, followed by the doctor expressing the glands while looking through a slit lamp, therefore allowing the glands to function again. When combined with proper home care, in-office heating and expression of the glands has been clinically shown to improve symptoms and treat the most common underlying cause of dry eye disease. Almost 90% of patients who have dry eye have primary or contributory Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. Every time we blink, we express the glands. Being able to measure the thickness of the lipid layer and the completeness of the blink is extremely important in order to treat properly. This treatment is not only extremely effective but also affordable and comfortable.

Question 3

How many Ocusoft sessions will I need?

Accepted Answer

There is no one answer, as that depends on the individual patient. Generally patients will have 3-6 sessions, and it is recommended to follow any instructions of home care that your eye doctor advises you on.

Question 4

Why do we experience Dry Eye?

Accepted Answer

Dry Eye is a symptom arising from a larger issue. There are a number of reasons you could have Dry Eyes. They include: your eyes are not producing enough lipid, liquid, or inflammation.

Question 5

But my eyes don’t feel dry…

Accepted Answer

You don’t necessarily need to feel like your eyes are “dry” to have Dry Eyes, or MGD. Other symptoms include feeling scratchiness, grittiness, sandiness, watering, blurriness, etc.

Question 6

What are the risk factors to having Dry Eye?

Accepted Answer

Some of the risk factors to having Dry Eye are: high usage of digital screens, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, and women over the age of 50.

Question 7

Isn’t using Visine or other OTC eye drops enough?

Accepted Answer

Visine, and other OTC eye drops like them, are not a good option to treat dry eyes. These types of eye drops are a tool used to MASK dry eye symptoms, but not to treat them. In fact, Visine products can create a rebound effect causing further redness and dryness. We now have better tools to identify the underlying cause and how we can treat it.

Question 8

What if I don’t treat my Dry Eye? Will it get worse?

Accepted Answer

Dry eye is a chronic, progressive disease that affects the surface of the eye. Without treatments, the symptoms may ebb and flow, but there is likely progressive damage occurring to the front surface of your eye. If left untreated, dry eyes can become dangerous. Excessive dryness can scar the cornea, impairing vision and damaging the tissues. Significant dryness can lead to greater chance of infection, breakdown of the corneal barriers and perforation of the cornea. Furthermore, clogged glands will eventually atrophy and die, so treating those glands as soon as possible is critical to ensuring long term eye health and function.

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