About Patient Resources Services Eyewear Performance Vision Dry Eye Spa Myopia Management Contact Dry Eye Dry Eye Syndrome Dry Eyes symptoms can have a major impact on your quality of life, making daily activities uncomfortable and your vision unstable. Dry Eye Syndrome is often misdiagnosed as allergies since the hallmark signs include itching and watery discharge. At our Sugar Land clinic, our eye doctors specialize in diagnosis and treating Dry Eye Syndrome. What is Dry Eye Syndrome? Dry Eye Syndrome or Ocular Surface Disease is when surface of your eyes don't maintain the right balance of water, mucous and oil in your tear film, causing symptoms like burning, itching, watery discharge, redness, general discomfort and fluctuating vision. In essence, dry eye occurs when a person doesn't have enough quality tears to lubricate and nourish the front surface of the eyes. Dry eye is a complex disease and requires expertise and a thorough evaluation of your ocular surface and tears to help attain the correct diagnosis and treatment plan. Studies have shown that over the counter tears only help temporarily and are not a long term solution to treating dry eyes. Preventive Self-Care Before we delve into more serious dry eye treatment options, here are a few simple self-care options that can help manage minor symptoms associated with dry eye: Blink regularly when reading on a digital device or computer screen for a long time. Make sure there’s adequate humidity in the air at work and at home. Wear sunglasses outside to reduce sun and wind exposure. Wraparound glasses are the best. Take supplements with Omega 3's and essential fatty acids as these may decrease dry eye symptoms. Drink adequate amounts of water daily to stay hydrated. Find out if any of your prescriptions medications have dry eye as a side effect and if so, see if you can take an alternative. Common examples include over the counter anti-histamines. Artificial Tears Sometimes dry eye is induced by the things we do (such as starting at a digital device without blinking frequently) vs a true medical reason for dry eye sydrome. In these mild cases of dry eyes, a short term option are over-the-counter eye drops. Here are a few tips for selecting the right one: Low viscosity – These artificial tears are watery. They often provide quick relief with little or no blurring of your vision, but their effect can be brief. High viscosity – These are more gel-like and provide longer-lasting lubrication. However, these drops can cause significant blurring of your vision for several minutes. For this reason, high-viscosity artificial tears are recommended at bedtime. Dry Eye Treatments In your dry eye evaluation we will evaluate your medical history, all parts of the surface of your eyes, your eyelid glands and your tears to determine what the cause of your dry eyes are. A custom treatment plan will then be initiated by Dr. Somji or Dr. Sana. Here are a few treatment options that may be discussed at your visit: Contact Lenses – either a soft lens used as a bandage lens to protect your eyes from dehydration or a custom scleral contact lens to help provide moisture and hydration to your eyes while providing excellent vision. Antibiotics – specific antibiotics can reduce inflammation of the glands in your eyelids, allowing the lipid or 'oily' part of your tears to flow more freely. Anti-inflammatory drugs – dry eye syndrome is also known as ocular surface disease because the surface of the eye can be inflamed from chronic dry eyes. In these situations, reducing surface inflammation in the short term with steroid eye drops or long term with prescription strenght drops such as Xiidra, Restasis or Cequa may be necessary. Punctal Plugs – sometimes when there isn't enough total tear volume in the eyes, our doctors will insert dissolvable punctal plugs into a specific area in your eyelids (tear ducts) to prevent the tears that are there from draining from the eyes too fast. Autologous blood serum drops – For serious dry eyes that do not respond to other treatments, these eye drops are made with a sample of your blood. It’s processed to remove the red blood cells and then mixed with a salt solution. Warm Compresses and Eyelid Scrubs– usually prescribed as a supplement to other dry eye treatments. Warm compresses can help unblock the glands that are responsible for produce the oily part of your tears Amniotic Membrane Lenses – when there is excessive damage from chronic inflammation on the surface of your eyes, we may insert a special biological membrane contact lens for 3-5 days to help heal the damaged surface. This biological contact lens is made from human donation amniotic tissue and has extremely potent regeneration properties. Dr. Somji and Dr. Sana have provided many patients with relief by utilizing these special biological treatment lenses. Mibo® Thermoflo - This treats dry eyes by massaging the margins of the eyelids. It uses controlled heat to unclog the meibomian glands to restore a healthier, more balanced tear film. ThermaEyePlus® IPL - This treats dry eyes by utilizing pulses of light that liquefies and releases hardened oils that have clogged meibomian glands in the eyelids. It reduces eyelid redness and stimulates healthy gland function. This treatment has long-term success in treating severe dry eye and the causes. BlephEx – This treatment helps to remove inflammatory material on the eyelids and unblock oil glands. This painless treatment is done in-office and takes only 10 minutes. We have provided residents of Sugar Land, Katy, Houston and other areas with amazing relief with this treatment since 2013! Nutrition - Omega Benefits Our Practice Recommends De3 by PRN for occasional eye dryness, to provide the body with the essential nutrients it needs to produce a soothing, healthy tear film. Studies show that long-term use of 2240MG of EPA/DHA in the re-esterified Triglyceride form (RTG): Significantly improves occasional dry eye discomforts such as grittiness, dryness, and burning2 Improves tear film quality, contributing to overall eye comfort and stable vision2 Ensures tears are healthy as part of creating a healthy surface for surgery Provides critical nutrition to produce healthy, soothing tears Can produce optimal levels of omega-3s in 90 days Play video You don’t have to suffer from the symptoms of dry eye or settle for being told to use an over the counter eye drop. Talk to our team to schedule your dry eye evaluation with one of our eye doctors who specialize in dry eye evaluation and treatment in Sugar Land. Quick Links About Us Meet The Team Testimonials Optical Boutique Charity Blog Featured Brand Of The Month Helpful Articles Products Eye Surgery Co-Management Technology Vision Therapy Eye Health Services Contact Lenses Surgical Procedures Eyeglasses Ocular Disease Management Services Learn More Keep In Touch Contact Us Get in Touch Interested in our Services? Please note your appointment time is not finalized until we have confirmed the time and date with you. Request Appointment Contact Info Address: 15920 Lexington Blvd. Sugar Land, TX 77479 Call or Text: (281) 843-4020 Clinic Hours Monday 8:30am - 5:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 5:30pm Wednesday 9:00am - 1:00pm Thursday 8:30am - 5:30pm Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm Saturday 9:00am - 1:00pm Sunday Closed For after-hour emergencies, please call: (281) 843-4020 Powered by: Copyright © 2020 Horizon Eye Care & Optical. All Rights Reserved. Accessibility Statement - Privacy Policy - Sitemap