How to Protect Your Eyes From Dryness This Summer

Dry, itchy eyes are a common complaint, and it’s rarely a cause for concern. However, if you wear contact lenses, work in dry or dusty conditions, or have a medical condition that makes your eyes even dryer, chronic inflammation can put you at risk for permanent damage. 

That’s why it’s important to seek treatment for dry eyes and prevent future complications. 

At Ventura Eye Institute in Camarillo, California, our professional team of eye care specialists helps you determine what’s causing your dry eyes, and provides you with the best possible solution.

Common causes of dry eyes

Anyone can have dry, itchy eyes from time to time. However, if your eyes seem constantly dry and irritated, you could have dry eye syndrome. 

Dry eye syndrome means that your eyes aren’t producing enough tears to keep your eyeball lubricated, or that the tears being produced aren’t of sufficient quality to do their job properly.

Tears have a special oil in them that provides the lubrication. This oil is produced by the meibomian glands, which are on the edge of your eyelids. If these glands become blocked or clogged, it adversely affects the quality and amount of tears you can produce. 

In our office, Brianne Enegren, PA-C, specializes in meibomian gland washouts, a simple, minimally invasive way to unclog blocked meibomian glands and restore adequate production of high-quality tears. For most patients, a single treatment resolves the issue long-term. 

The washout process

During a washout, Brianne first applies a topical anesthetic in eye drop form to make sure your eye is numb and you don’t experience any discomfort. 

Then she starts the treatment by inserting tiny probes into the glands. This helps stimulate atrophied muscle that may be squeezing the glands shut so oil can’t escape. 

Once the gland isn’t compressed, the entire area relaxes and oil can escape once more. This restores the balance in your tears, and delivers the required lubrication to alleviate your dry eyes. 

After your treatment, you shouldn't have side effects. If you do feel any irritation or soreness, using a cold compress can relieve it.

Washouts have been shown to be much more effective than simply using eyedrops all the time, applying warm compresses to the eyes, or doing routine eyelid massage to try and unclog the glands.

Are you ready to say goodbye to dry eyes for good?. To schedule an appointment, call 805-388-1211 or book online.