Dry Eye Therapy | Medicine Hat

Helping You Find Relief from Dry Eyes

Dry eye disease is among the most common and inconvenient eye conditions. Having dry eyes can put your productivity on hold—for some, the effects of dry eyes can be minor, but for others, they can be debilitating.

The good news is that you don’t have to deal with dry eyes alone. Our team uses a variety of dry eye treatments to help you find relief. Through a comprehensive eye exam, we can get to the bottom of your dry eye symptoms and come up with a solution.

Dry eye disease affects everyone differently, and together we can find your personalized solution. Schedule an appointment with us today to get one step closer to relief.

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What Is Causing My Dry Eyes?

Because we live in beautiful Southern Alberta, we experience the dry, cold air climate firsthand, and dry eye can affect the vast majority of the population. Your tears are comprised of 3 layers:

The oily outer layer in your meibomian glands
The watery middle layer in your lacrimal glands
The inner mucus layer in the conjunctiva of your eye

Dry eye disease can occur when the glands that produce these elements of your tears are not functioning properly or become inflamed.

The Details of Dry Eye

Dry eye disease is a condition that can occur when your eyes aren’t producing enough tears to stay hydrated or something has gone wrong with the tear production process. When the glands that produce the crucial elements of your tears become inflamed it can lead to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).

MGD clogs the small glands in your eyelids that produce the oily layer of tears and cause instability in the tear film. Instability in the tear production process can lead to dry eye disease.

Other factors that can contribute to dry eye include:

Hormonal changes
The normal aging process
Exposure to certain environmental conditions like dry, cold air
Medications, including allergy pills and antidepressants
Some systemic conditions

Once we understand the cause of your dry eyes, we’ll discuss a comprehensive treatment plan to help you find relief.

Our Dry Eye Solutions at 20/20 Vision Care

Our team takes dry eye seriously, and we offer a variety of treatment methods to combat the common signs and symptoms of dry eye disease, which can include:

Eye redness
Stinging, scratching, or burning sensations
Watery eyes
Blurry vision

Your optometrist will create a personalized treatment plan based on your particular symptoms, the cause or causes of your dry eyes, and what works best for you.

Punctal Plugs

Punctal plugs can be used to block the natural drainage of your tears and prevent your tears from draining from your eyes too quickly.

There are 2 types of punctal plugs:

Temporary or dissolving—This type of plug is usually made of collagen and naturally dissolves in a few days or months.
Semi-permanent—These plugs are made of medical plastics and designed for long-term use. Your eye doctor can remove these plugs if needed.

Restasis (or Other Medicated Drops)

RESTASIS eye drops are prescription drops that focus on treating the underlying cause of chronic dry eye. These drops focus on inflammation management and increasing your eyes’ ability to produce tears.

Using Restasis per your doctor’s recommendation can help increase tear production and bring moisture back to your eyes.

Professional Grade Artificial Tears

This type of artificial tear is usually not available at pharmacies because they are produced by companies to help manage a certain type of dry eye disease.

We have over 6 different products, each with a different purpose that can help manage dry eyes.

Lacrisert

Lacrisert is a prescription lubricant designed to be inserted into the eye to relieve moderate to severe dry eye symptoms.

Lacrisert is a preservative-free, all-day option to help manage the effects of dry eye disease. Our team can help determine if Lacrisert is a good option for you.

Meibomian Gland Expression

Meibomian gland expression is a procedure that involves thermal heating of the glands. This process involves manually expressing the lower glands, known as meibomian glands, to allow secretions to flow, prevent clogging, and promote healthy tears.

BlephEx

BlephEx is an in-office procedure that treats inflammation of the eyelids. This inflammation can be a symptom of dry eye disease, and BlephEx can provide some much-deserved relief.

BlephEx works by cleaning the accumulated bacterial biofilm and plaque along the edge of your eyelids and eyelashes.

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL)

Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy is a treatment for dry eye disease that uses gentle pulses of light around the skin of your eyes to reduce inflammation.

IPL therapy focuses on dry eyes that occur due to deficiencies with special oils that are produced on your eyelids by glands called meibomian glands. IPL therapy improves tear break-up time and increases meibomian gland functionality.

Scleral Contact Lenses

Scleral contact lenses can be an excellent option if you’re unable to wear contacts because of conditions like dry eye disease.

Scleral lenses are designed to be larger than traditional contacts and rest on the sclera or white of your eyes. This design allows for extra space over your cornea’s surface for extra breathability by acting as a fluid reservoir to provide comfort for dry eyes.

I-RELIEF Mask

We offer the I-RELIEF hot and cold therapy eye mask to help patients with dry eye disease symptoms. An I-RELIEF mask is a treatment option you can take home with you to assist in relieving dry eye disease symptoms.

The I-RELIEF mask is specifically designed to increase the production of oils that are naturally produced by your meibomian glands. These masks are heated in a microwave and can be purchased at our office!

Lifestyle Changes

Our optometrists may also recommend lifestyle changes that can help you avoid the effects of dry eye. Changes like monitoring your screen time, adjusting your office setup, your diet, and the type of contact lenses you wear can all contribute to healthier eyes.

Addressing Dry Eyes Together

Dry eye disease is a chronic condition, and we strive to help you manage and find relief from the effects of dry eyes. Our whole team would love to work with you to develop a treatment plan to take back your comfort and productivity.

Book an appointment with us to get started on finding relief from dry eyes.

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20/20 News

Our Family

At 20/20 Vision Care, we provide comprehensive vision care services, including eye exams, contact lens exams, dry eye therapy, and a wide selection of frames and lenses.

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Designed specifically to best manage eye-related health concerns and disease. We also handle urgent eye care matters like foreign bodies, infections, and trauma.

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Your children undergo crucial visual development at a young age, and we want to be a part of this journey. We offer children’s eye exams and myopia management to help your children thrive.

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We understand that not everyone can make it into our office, so we offer mobile services for those that are homebound, and service the senior homes in our area as well.

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