Dry Eyes Specialist
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Harlem VistaSite Eye Care
Optometry located in Harlem, New York, NY
Dry eyes occur when the quality and quantity of tears in your eyes aren’t sufficient enough to keep your eyes moisturized. At Harlem VistaSite Eye Care in New York City, the team provides expert treatment for people struggling with the widespread dry eye syndrome. For long-term relief and comprehensive treatment, call or go online to book an appointment.
Dry Eyes Q & A
What is dry eye?
Dry eye occurs when your eye’s surface doesn’t get the proper amount of lubrication. When this happens, it’s often because the quality of the tears your eyes produce isn’t good enough to keep your eyes moist or because your eyes don’t produce enough tears.
Tear quantity shortage
As you age, your eyes start to produce fewer tears. Nonetheless, medical conditions can also cause your eyes to produce fewer tears. Also, environmental factors, like a windy or dry climate, can significantly contribute to tear evaporation.
Tear quality inadequacy
Oil, water, and mucus are the three critical components of proper tear quality. Imbalances in these substances can cause your tears to spread out over the eye unevenly and evaporate faster than usual.
What are the symptoms of dry eyes?
Dry eyes often cause an irritation sensation that feels like you have a foreign object in your eye. Common symptoms of dry eyes include:
- Heavy eyelids
- Blurred vision
- Chronic redness
- Continuous burning or stinging
- Eye pain
- Excessive dryness
- Excessive tearing
The longer you wait to receive treatment, the higher your chances of damaging the surface of your eyes.
What are the risk factors for dry eyes?
Dry eyes typically affect older adults, as their tear production abilities decrease the older they get. This is especially the case for people above 50 years old.
Hormonal changes during pregnancy and menopause can also increase your chances of developing dry eyes. You might also contract dry eyes as a result of autoimmune disorders affecting the eye.
How do you treat dry eyes?
The team can recommend prescription eye drops to help with your eye’s natural production of tears or to stimulate it when it has stopped working entirely. If your dry eyes cause extensive eye irritation, the team suggests eyelid massages, warm compresses or various eyelid cleaners to reduce inflammation.
If you sit in front of a computer screen for multiple hours a day, you should take regular breaks following the 20-20-20 rule: For every 20 minutes you spend in front of a computer screen, take a break to look an object 20 feet away for at least 20 seconds.
The team can also recommend amniotic membrane treatments to help heal the surface of your eye when your dry eyes symptoms are extensive.
Schedule an appointment today by phone or online at Harlem VistaSite Eye Care to start your dry eyes treatment.
