What Is Dry Eye?
Dry eyes are uncomfortable and irritating! But what exactly is dry eye? Put simply, dry eye occurs when your eyes don’t produce or keep adequate lubrication to keep the ocular surface moist and comfortable.
There are two main causes why you may be experiencing dry eye symptoms. The first is known as aqueous deficiency dry eye—it happens when your eyes don’t produce enough tears. The second and more commonly known is the evaporative dry eye.
Evaporative dry eye occurs when there is an imbalance in the tear film. It means your natural tears are of insufficient quality and lack the proper chemical composition.
The tear film is made up of these distinct layers, lipid (surface oil) and muco-aqueous tear (mucin and aqueous tear). Each of these layers plays an important role in keeping the ocular surface protected and lubricated. . The mucin layer spreads the tears over the eye’s surface. The water or aqueous layer keeps the eye hydrated, and the oil layer prevents the underlying aqueous tear from evaporating.
If any of these layers are out of balance, annoying and frustrating dry eye symptoms are the result. At Vision Optique, we offer comprehensive diagnostic and treatment options. The newest procedural treatment option is the Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) with OptiLight by Lumenis! To learn more about dry eye disease (DED) and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD): visit our “Dry Eye Center” page:
