Dry Eye Treatment

Getting to the Root of Dry Eye Disease

Experiencing dry, scratchy, or gritty eyes? You might have dry eye disease, an uncomfortable condition that affects your eyes and can be aggravated by dry air, fans, AC, extended computer use, or just living in Alberta!

We can help you find relief from dry eye. Our Wellness Eye Exams include dry eye and ocular surface disease screenings to diagnose the root cause of your symptoms, guiding our treatment strategy.

Book your eye exam today to get started.

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What Is Dry Eye Disease?

Ocular Surface Disease (OSD), including Dry Eye Syndrome, is a group of conditions that can cause damage to the eyes and vision problems if left untreated. Each condition has a unique cause. Our screenings identify the root issue to provide tailored treatments.

Dry eye occurs when the eyes don’t produce enough or good-quality tears. The tear film has 3 layers: mucus, water, and oil. In some cases, tears evaporate due to insufficient oil, often caused by meibomian gland dysfunction or blepharitis.

Common symptoms of dry eye include:

Eye redness
Stinging or burning
Scratchiness or grittiness
Feeling like there’s something in your eye
Excessive tearing
Sensitivity to light

How We Manage & Treat Dry Eye

Our dry eye treatments begin with an accurate and timely diagnosis. Certain patients with moderate to severe dry eye disease will be asked to book a follow-up Dry Eye Assessment, where we will use the Firefly diagnostic dry eye slit lamp to do an in-depth analysis of your eyes.

Once assessed, we can build a treatment plan personalized to your needs. Some of our standard treatments include prescription eye drops, eyelid sprays and cleansing products, high-dose specialty omega-3s, medications, and hot compresses.

We may also recommend an in-office treatment such as intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy, radiofrequency (RF) therapy, ZEST in-office eyelid and lash cleaning, or meibomian gland expression, depending on the cause of your dry eye symptoms.

IPL & RF Treatments for Dry Eye

While prescription eye drops, medications, and other home therapies may offer short-term relief from dry eye symptoms, many patients need further intervention to achieve long-term relief. RF and IPL treatments are designed to target the root of the issue, helping restore function to your eyes and meibomian glands for happy, moist eyes.

IPL and RF also offer some happy side effects. They can help reverse signs of aging by stimulating collagen production and reducing inflammation. You may also notice fewer wrinkles or dark spots around your eyes after treatment, resulting in younger-looking eyes and skin!

InMode Forma-I RF

We use the InMode Forma-I radiofrequency (RF) device to provide heat therapy for dry eye patients. This device uses RF energy waves to gently heat eyelids and skin around the eyes.

RF treatments relieve dry eye symptoms caused by clogged or inflamed meibomian glands, which produce the oil layer of the tear film. Forma-I RF can improve blood flow, melt oil blockages, reduce inflammation, and stimulate collagen production around the eyes and eyelids.

Often following an RF treatment, we recommend meibomian gland expression, which is done manually in-office by a trained professional. This step helps clear out any remaining hardened oil in the meibomian glands. You can watch this video of Forma-I to see how it works.

InMode Lumecca-I IPL

The InMode Lumecca-I device uses intense pulsed light therapy to control inflammation around the eyes. It gently pulses light to break up oil and other debris blocking the meibomian glands. IPL can also decrease bacteria and demodex on the eyelids, improving their overall health and function.

IPL treats ocular rosacea, meibomian gland dysfunction, and inflammatory dry eye. It can also reduce redness, fine lines, and other signs of aging around the eyes.

The goal of IPL therapy is to reduce dependence on medication and eye drops by restoring function and improving long-term eyelid health.

Find Relief from Your Dry Eye

It’s possible to have dry eye without recognizing its symptoms. Even without extreme discomfort, dry eye can cause lasting damage to your eyes. That’s why we include screenings in our adult Wellness Eye Exams.

At Canmore Family Eyecare, our goal is to find long-lasting solutions for your dry eye symptoms. We’ll work with you to build a treatment plan that meets your needs and lifestyle. We want to keep your eyes comfortable and healthy!

Take care of your eyes by booking an appointment today.

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