Treatments for dry eye depend on the severity of your symptoms.

Dry Eye & Help for Dry Eyes for Houston & Galveston from The Eye Clinic of Texas

Dry eye problems and the need for help for dry eyes are common comments and requests from many of our Houston eye care patients. Your eyes constantly produce tears at a slow and steady rate so that they stay moist and comfortable. Some people are not able to produce enough tears or the appropriate quality of tears to keep their eyes healthy or comfortable. This condition is known as dry eye.

Symptoms of dry eye include scratchiness, stinging, stringy mucus in or around the eyes, blurry vision, and oddly enough, watery eyes.

Sometimes people with dry eye will experience excessive tearing. This is the eye’s response to the discomfort from dry eye. When the eyes get irritated, the gland that makes tears releases a larger than usual volume of tears, which overwhelm the tear drainage system. These excess tears then overflow from your eyes.

Dry eye often increases with age as tear production slows. For women, this is especially true after menopause. Dry eye can be associated with other problems like Sjögren’s syndrome, which can cause dry eyes along with dry mouth and arthritis.

Your ophthalmologist can usually diagnose dry eye by examining your eyes. Sometimes tests that measure tear production are necessary. The Schirmer tear test measures tear production by placing filter-paper strips between your eyeball and your lower lid. Your ophthalmologist might also test you for dry eye using diagnostic drops to check for patterns of dryness on the eye’s surface.

Treatments for dry eye depend on the severity of your symptoms. In mild dry eyes, artificial tears may be all you need. In more severe form, there are prescription eye drops such as steroid to reduce the inflammation that comes with dry eyes. There are also prescription drops that will stimulate more tear production. Your ophthalmologist may conserve your tears by closing the channels through which your tears drain by using punctal plugs. You can also try to prevent tears from evaporating by avoiding wind and dry air from overheated rooms, ceiling fans, and hair dryers. Smoking irritates dry eyes and should be avoided. Certain medications can lead to or worsen dry eyes, such as diuretics, antihistamines, and sleeping pills. Alcohol can also have drying effects on your eyes.

RESEARCH STUDY

The Eye Clinic of Texas is conducting a research study for people with dry eye disease. The purpose of this research study is to develop a better understanding of the natural history of dry eye disease.

To be eligible for this research study, you must

• Be at least 55 years old if male or, if female, at least 40 years old with perimenopausal symptoms (or post menopausal)
• Have dry eye disease
• Have moderate to severe eye surface discomfort and symptoms of unhealthy tears
• Be willing to attend 6 study visits over a period of 24 months
• NOT have a history of herpes keratitis, varizella zoster, or allergic conjunctivitis
• NOT use or plan to use topical glaucoma medications during the course of the study
• NOT have had cataract surgery, LASIK, LASEK, or PRK procedure within the past 12 months

We are also studying people who do not have dry eye disease. To be eligible to participate in this portion of the study, you must

• Be at least 55 years old if male or, if female, at least 40 years old with perimenopausal symptoms (or post menopausal)
• Be willing to attend 6 study visits over a period of 24 months
• NOT have symptoms of dry eye disease
• NOT have a history of herpes keratitis, varizella zoster, or allergic conjunctivitis
• NOT use or plan to use topical glaucoma medications during the course of the study
• NOT have had cataract surgery, LASIK, LASEK, or PRK procedure within the past 12 months

If you are eligible for this study, you will receive eye exams at no cost to you and you may receive compensation for your time.  There may be reasons why you would not be eligible to participate, and we will discuss this with you.  If you are interested in learning more about this research study, please contact a member of our office staff.