Dry Eye Treatment You Need to Know!

Dry Eye Clinic Serving Dallas-Arlington

At Tylock- George Eye Care we are committed to healthy vision. And as Dry Eye experts, we offer specialized attention through our Dry Eye Clinic. We understand your frustration with the limitations of traditional therapies and are committed to bringing you the best technology available to treat this uncomfortable disease – so that you can enjoy the greatest possible relief.

Tylock-George Eye Care provders are the right choices for trained dry eye specialists in the Dallas Fort Worth metroplex to invest in your vision with a revolutionary approach to Dry Eye treatment.

If you’ve been suffering from this painful condition – or think you may have it – we can determine the cause of your symptoms and apply therapy appropriate to your specific needs that may make your daily discomfort a thing of the past. We also offer the new LipiFlow® thermal pulsation treatment, if you suffer from Evaporative Dry Eye you can now get this treatment in our office. With just one treatment, you may experience sustained relief.

If you suffer from any of these symptoms from time to time you may benefit from a visit to our Dry Eye clinic:

• dryness
• discomfort and irritation
• grittiness or feeling of a foreign body in the eye
• burning or stinging sensation
• redness
• discharge
• tiredness
• itching
• vision disturbance
• sensitivity to light

Treat the Cause

Patients with moderate to severe dry eye are experiencing great discomfort and are seeking new approaches from traditional therapies, which only provide limited symptomatic relief. Eye care physicians are equally frustrated with the limited tools available to properly diagnose and treat dry eye. Dr. Sanchez and Dr. O’Keefe offer new technology to better diagnosis and treat the root cause of evaporative dry eye.

What is Evaporative Dry Eye?

Evaporative Dry Eye is a chronic condition that can worsen over time. It occurs when the water in your tears evaporates faster than normal, due to an insufficient lipid (oil) layer on the tear film of your eye. Contact us today to see if today’s technology can help you with your discomfort.

How Dry Eye Affects You

Are you suffering? Do your eyes feel dry… Irritated… Gritty… You may experience blurred vision or sensitivity to sunlight. Problems worsen while reading, driving, or extended computer use. After a while, it limits these activities. Contact us today for your comprehensive dry eye visit.

LipiFlow® Treatment

The LipiFlow® Thermal Pulsation System is a revolutionary way to treat Evaporative Dry Eye caused by Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). Opening and clearing blocked glands allow the body to resume the natural production of lipids (oils) needed for the tear film. The result may eliminate the uncomfortable symptoms associated with Evaporative Dry Eye.

What is Dry Eye

Dry Eye is a long-term chronic disease that takes years to develop – and may worsen if left untreated. More than 100 million people have Dry Eye. There are two main forms of the disease: evaporative and aqueous deficient.

Evaporative Dry Eye which accounts for 86%1 of all dry eye cases is caused by blockages in the Meibomian glands located in your eyelids.

This condition of obstructed glands is known as Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. These glands are responsible for creating the lipid (oil) layer of tears. When the glands aren’t working as they should, you don’t have enough tear film oil. And your tears – which lubricate your eyes and keep them comfortable – evaporate too quickly. An insufficient oil layer can cause your tears to evaporate 4x-16x faster.

Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye occurs when the lacrimal glands do not create a sufficient amount of aqueous (water) to keep the eyes moist.

1—Lemp MA, et al. Distribution of aqueous deficient and evaporative dry eye in a clinical-based patient population. Cornea. In press.

How Dry Eye Affects You

What are Some Risk Factors for Evaporative Dry Eye?

Hormonal changes in women during menopause – particularly decreasing levels of estrogen – can cause thickening of the oils secreted by the meibomian glands, which results in blockages.

Decreased estrogen levels may enhance conditions under which staphylococcal bacteria can proliferate in the meibomian glands. This results in a decreased oil secretion rate.

Additional factors that may cause or exacerbate meibomian gland dysfunction include age, contact lens use and hygiene, cosmetic use, and illnesses, particularly diabetes.

Common Symptoms of Dry Eye:

• dryness
• discomfort and irritation
• grittiness or feeling of a foreign body in the eye
• burning or stinging sensation
• tearing
• redness
• discharge
• tiredness
• itching
• vision disturbance
• sensitivity to light

How Dry Eye can Negatively Impact your Vision and Your Life

The symptoms of Dry Eye can be uncomfortable – and a big burden. Basic visual tasks, such as reading, using a computer, driving or watching television may become difficult. Wearing contact lenses may be impossible. And, you might find that symptoms worsen later in the day, keeping you from enjoying the activities you want to do.

Underlying the considerable discomfort is a real physical condition that needs treatment to stop the cycle of Dry Eye deterioration and worsening symptoms.

Dry Eye is a chronic disease and without proper management, the deterioration may look like this:

• Increased evaporation of tears
• Unstable tear film
• Damage to the eye surface
• Further discomfort
• Inflammation and cell damage
• Fluctuation and decrease in vision

LipiFlow® is designed to provide relief, so you can get on with your life.

Evaporative Dry Eye can be a Thing of the Past with LipiFlow®

If you’re ready to get started, call us to schedule an assessment appointment. Reduce your dependence on drops or maybe even eliminate them. Goodbye, daily therapies. Hello LipiFlow®.

Dry Eye Treatment

How do we determine if you are suffering from Dry Eye? In our Dry Eye Clinic, we will conduct a series of evaluations and determine the likely cause of your Dry Eye symptoms. First, you will complete a Dry Eye lifestyle questionnaire – this brief assessment allows us to understand how your eyes feel on a daily basis. (Feel free to print out our online copy, complete the questionnaire, and bring it to your next appointment.) If the questionnaire indicates symptoms beyond mild, we will proceed with LipiView® – This technology allows the physician to evaluate the lipid (oil) layer on your eye. Here’s how it works: LipiView® takes extremely detailed images of your eye’s tear film.

The procedure is non-invasive, can be performed in our office, and takes less than five minutes. If you’ve ever had a comprehensive eye exam, LipiView® will feel similar. The tear film can be clearly seen as an array of colors that are reflected when a light source is directed towards the front surface of the eye and readings are instantly calculated and displayed on the LipiView® monitor. Typically, our physician will perform a Meibomian gland evaluation. LipiView® is an imaging device that is intended for use by a physician in adult patients to capture images of the tear film. The following conditions may affect the assessment of a patient’s tear film using the LipiView®:

• Use of ophthalmic drops such as artificial tear lubricants, ointments, and medications. Patients should not use oil-based ophthalmic drops (e.g., Soothe®, Restasis®) for at least 12 hours prior to LipiView® assessment. Patients should not use ointments for at least 24 hours prior to LipiView® use. Patients should wait at least 4 hours after the installation of all other ophthalmic drops prior to LipiView® use.
• Soft or rigid contact lens wear. Patients should remove contact lenses at least 4 hours prior to device use.
• Use of oil-based facial cosmetics around the eye.
• Eye rubbing.
• Recent swimming in a chlorinated pool. Patients should not swim for at least 12 hours prior to LipiView® use.
  Any ocular surface condition that affects the stability of the tear film. These conditions include disease, dystrophy, trauma, scarring, surgery, or abnormality. Following these evaluations, we will then determine whether or not you have Evaporative Dry Eye or Meibomian Gland Dysfunction and if you are a candidate for LipiFlow®.

LipiFlow®, the groundbreaking treatment, addresses the cause of Evaporative Dry Eye If you’ve been unable to receive long-lasting relief from the over-the-counter or prescription remedies you’ve tried, it may be because they haven’t been targeting the primary cause of your condition – the blockage of your Meibomian glands located in your eyelids. Perhaps you’ve tried things like eye drops and warm compresses, which many find inconvenient and only offer short-term relief. The LipiFlow® Thermal Pulsation System, by TearScience®, is a significant technological shift managing evaporative dry eye. With a single procedure, applying a combination of directed heat and pulsation pressure, many find a single treatment effective in relieving the blockage of their Meibomian glands.

The LipiFlow® System is intended for the application of localized heat and pressure therapy in adult patients with evaporative dry eye. Opening the blocked glands may allow your body to resume its natural production of tear film oil. No other Dry Eye THERAPIES do what the Thermal Pulsation System can! LipiFlow® treatment is clinically proven with sustained results. In a clinical study, about 79% of patients reported an improvement in overall dry eye symptoms after a single LipiFlow® treatment. Depending on the severity of your specific condition and your response to treatment, you may need to repeat the LipiFlow® treatment periodically as your symptoms return over time. With LipiFlow® – and regular checks and ongoing care to monitor your progress – let us help you experience Dry Eye relief like never before.

Goodbye Evaporative Dry Eye. Get started today! If you’re ready to kick Evaporative Dry Eye, all it takes is a phone call to get started. Make an evaluation appointment in our Dry Eye Clinic and determine if you’re a candidate for LipiFlow®.

What Actually Happens during a LipiFlow® Treatment?

The LipiFlow® Activator (a disposable eyepiece) is inserted under your lower and upper eyelid and is shaped to prevent contact with your cornea. Once in place, you simply recline in the treatment chair and experience the 12-minute procedure. In a clinical study, 32% of patients reported no discomfort and 48% of patients noted awareness of pressure without pain during the LipiFlow treatment. The average total Meibomian gland score for patients who received a single LipiFlow treatment more than doubled from 6.3 + 3.5 glands at the baseline to 16.7 + 8.7 glands at 4 weeks. As previously mentioned, 79% of patients treated with LipiFlow in the clinical study reported an improvement in overall dry eye symptoms.

Why is LipiFlow® Superior to Other Dry Eye Therapies?

If you’re a moderate or severe Evaporative Dry Eye sufferer, life can seem like a constant battle to alleviate symptoms. Those drops and warm compresses become a regular ritual. You’ve tried blinking exercises and lid scrubs. And you avoid wearing contact lenses and extended sessions in front of the computer. If this sounds familiar, you may need LipiFlow®. It’s the breakthrough treatment for Evaporative Dry Eye.

LipiFlow® is:

• The first and only treatment that addresses the cause of Evaporative Dry Eye at the source, allowing your eyelid glands to produce the oils required for a healthy tear film. Other treatments – warm compresses and drops – just give you temporary symptomatic relief.
• The only treatment that can give you sustained relief through improved gland function. Other treatments require daily, and some times even hourly, attention to keep your Evaporative Dry Eye under control.
• A powerful step in managing Dry Eye disease, providing symptom relief and helping stop the cycle of Dry Eye deterioration and worsening symptoms.

CALL TODAY, SEE BETTER TOMORROW! Call us, (972)-210-0442 or fill out this request your evaluation form. Find detailed safety information about LipiFlow® at www.TearScience.com