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Baseline Dry Eye Testing

Includes:

  • Blink analysis (how often you blink)

  • Tear meniscus height (the volume of your tears and their distribution across the eye)

  • Non-invasive tear break up time (how fast your tears evaporate)

  • Meibomian gland analysis (assessment of the small oil glands along the upper and lower eyelids – reveals health of glands and monitors for atrophy or loss of glands)

  • Anterior ocular health examination and consultation with optometrist

 

Includes 1-month and 6-month follow-up appointments with repeat testing

 

After the baseline testing is done, one option that is available is in office meibomian gland expression.  This is manual expression of the meibomian glands which opens blockages and promotes secretion of oil.  This is done every three months.

In Office Meibomian Gland Expression

Included in the package:

  • Bruder mask ​​​​

    • Patients must bring this in to their treatment sessions

  • Eye drops:

    • I-Drop Pur​​​​​

    • I-Drop Pur Gel

  • 4 treatments within 12-month time period​​ OR priced as individual session

​

Baseline dry eye testing must be completed before in office meibomian gland expression is offered

Dry Eye

With new diagnostic equipment, we are excited to now offer our patients additional options for treating chronic dry eye.

For more information on dry eye treatment and testing, please contact our clinic!

Symptoms

When the watery layer of the tears evaporates, it can often cause a burning, gritty or sandy feeling.  It might even feel like you have something in your eye (we call this a foreign body sensation).  You may also notice more mucous in your tears... some people refer to this as "sand" or "sleep".  It is not unusual for people to mistakenly think they have an eye infection when this happens.  It's important to visit you optometrist before starting antibiotic "pink eye" drops, as they will often irritate or dry the eye more and won't help much if you problem is due to dryness.

One of the most common forms of dry eye that we see in our clinic is evaporative dry eye or meibomian gland dysfunction.

Normally, there are different components to your tears: a mucousy component to help the tears stick to your eye, a watery component to provide lubrication, and an oily component to help pevent the watery component from evaporating.  This oily component is secreted from little oil glands along your lashes - your meibomian glands.  Over time, these glands stop working efficiently.  The oil thickens and solidifies, and the glands start to atrophy.  when there is no oil getting into your tear film, the watery layer evaporates too quickly, leaving the mucousy layer behind.  This can cause your vision to appear blurry or filmy, and often fluctuates.  It is typically worse first thing in the morning or at the end of the day, or after "visual tasks" such as reading, screen use, or driving.  Typically you can get your vision to clear up if you blink a few times or rub your eyes.

Solution

In order to improve your symptoms, we need to get the oil glands working more efficiently.  By doing hot compresses regularly, you can help thin out the oil in those glands, which lets it get into your tears more readily.  To get the benefit from hot compresses, you must ensure the compress stays warm for at least 5 minutes and gives off moist heat.  A washcloth will not stay hot long enough.  A Bruder mask contains little beads that give off moist heat (when heated in a microwave) and is a more consistent heat source.

After heating the Bruder mask, gently place it over your closed eyes for 5-10 minutes (do not exceed 20 minutes).  Use the hot compress once a day or as often as directed by your optometrist.

Consistency is the key; it will take a few weeks before you notices improvement to your symptoms.  If your symptoms do not improve after 1 month (or if at any point they worsen), contact your optometrist for follow-up.

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