Dry Eye
What is Dry Eye Syndrome?
Dry eye syndrome occurs when your eyes don’t produce enough tears, or when the tears your body produces evaporate too quickly. Tears are essential for lubricating the surface of your eye, protecting against infection, and keeping your vision clear.
When your tear film is out of balance, it leads to inflammation and damage to the surface of the eye. This results in common symptoms like:
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A burning, stinging, or scratchy sensation
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Redness and constant irritation
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Sensitivity to light and wind
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Blurred vision (especially while reading or looking at screens)
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Eye watering: Your eyes flood with tears because they are trying to compensate for severe dryness, but these emotional tears lack the oils needed to actually hydrate your eye.
What Causes Dry Eyes?
Dry eye is rarely caused by just one thing. It is usually a combination of lifestyle, environmental, and biological factors, including:
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Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD): The leading cause of dry eye. The tiny glands in your eyelids that produce the essential oily layer of your tears become blocked, causing your tears to evaporate too fast.
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Screen Time & Digital Eye Strain: We blink up to 50% less when looking at computers, phones, and TVs, causing the tear film to dry out rapidly.
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Aging & Hormonal Changes: Tear production naturally decreases as we age, particularly during menopause.
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Environmental Factors: Dry climates, heavy air conditioning, and ceiling fans.
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Medical Conditions & Medications: Conditions like Sjogren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, or thyroid disorders, as well as everyday medications like antihistamines, blood pressure meds, and antidepressants.
The Four Common Culprits Behind Dry Eyes
Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD)
This is the leading cause of dry eye, accounting for roughly 86% of all cases. Your eyelids contain tiny oil glands called meibomian glands. They secrete a critical oil layer that coats your tears and prevents them from evaporating too quickly. When these glands become clogged or damaged, your tears evaporate into thin air, leaving your eyes exposed and irritated.
Ocular Rosacea
Rosacea isn’t just a skin condition. Ocular rosacea causes chronic inflammation of the eyelids, which directly interferes with your tear-producing glands. It often presents as persistently bloodshot eyes, swollen eyelid margins, and visible, tiny dilated blood vessels along the edge of your lids.
Demodex Blepharitis
Demodex are microscopic mites that naturally live near human hair follicles, but an overgrowth of them along the lash line causes a form of eyelid inflammation called blepharitis. They create itchy, crusty buildup at the base of the eyelashes (often looking like tiny collars or dandruff), which blocks healthy oil flow and drives chronic irritation.
Aqueous Deficiency
Unlike MGD (where tears evaporate too fast), aqueous deficiency means your lacrimal glands simply aren’t producing enough of the watery component of tears to keep the eye hydrated. This can be caused by aging, environmental factors, certain medications (like antihistamines), or autoimmune conditions.
How We Find the Root Cause: Advanced Diagnosis
Most people try to self-treat with artificial tears, which only mask the symptoms. At O’Fallon Family Eyecare, we believe in treating the source. We use state-of-the-art diagnostic technology to create a personalized blueprint of your eyes:
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Comprehensive Dry Eye Exam: We evaluate your overall eye health, blink patterns, and external eye structures.
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Meibography: Using specialized digital imaging, we take a detailed look at your Meibomian glands. This allows us to literally see if your glands are blocked, shortening, or missing, giving us a clear path forward for treatment.
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Non-Invasive Tear Break-Up Time (NITBUT): We precisely measure exactly how many seconds it takes for your tear film to break down after a blink, determining the stability and quality of your tears without irritating your eyes.
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Osmolarity & Inflammation Testing: Quick, painless checks that measure the salt concentration in your tears and detect specific inflammatory markers.
Why Patients Choose O’Fallon Family Eyecare
for Their Dry Eye Care
In Office Treatments
When conservative treatments aren’t enough, we offer advanced technology to rejuvenate your tear-producing glands:
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Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Therapy: A game-changer for dry eye. IPL uses gentle pulses of light to reduce inflammation around the eyes, melt hardened oils blocking your Meibomian glands, and eliminate abnormal blood vessels that contribute to chronic irritation.
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Thermal Gland Expression: Comfortably warms and clears blocked glands to restore a healthy, natural flow of oils to your tear film.
Prescription Medications
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Targeted Eye Drops: Prescriptions that reduce underlying inflammation or directly prevent tear evaporation.
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Amniotic Membranes / Biologic Drops: For severe cases, to rapidly heal and regenerate the surface of the cornea.
At Home Treatments
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Medical-grade warm compresses (like a Bruder mask) to soften gland blockages.
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Prescription-strength Omega-3 nutritional supplements to improve tear quality from the inside out.
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Specialized lid hygiene wipes to eliminate bacteria and mites (Demodex) that cause eyelid inflammation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my eyes water so much if they are supposedly "dry"?
It sounds backward, but watery eyes are actually a classic symptom of dry eye. When your eyes lack the proper balance of protective oils (usually due to MGD), your tears evaporate too fast. Your brain panics and floods the eye with reflex tears. However, these watery tears lack the structural oil layer, so they just roll down your cheek without actually hydrating your eye surface.
How long does a dry eye evaluation take?
Because we utilize advanced diagnostic technology to thoroughly map your tear profile and gland health, you should expect to spend about 45 to 60 minutes with us for a comprehensive assessment.
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Ready to Wake Up to Comfortable Eyes?
You don’t have to live with the constant discomfort of dry, irritated eyes. Let’s leverage the right technology to find the true root cause of your symptoms and build a plan that brings you lasting relief.