Dry eyes can happen to anyone and are a common disorder that any Las Vegas ophthalmologist can treat. The symptoms of dry eyes include irritated sensation in your eyes, excess mucus production, increased eye sensitivity, eye fatigue, eye redness, blurred vision, inflammation of the eye, and long periods of tearing up for no apparent reason.
The causes of dry eyes include a deficiency of tear production, inflammation of the eye, an increase in tear evaporation, or an abnormality in tear production resulting in the tear layer of the eye being the wrong consistency. These deficiencies can be caused by age, hormones, diseases, and medications.
At our Las Vegas clinic we can treat your dry eyes with a variety of methods depending on the source of the dry eye. Our Las Vegas ophthalmologists will first determine the source of the dry eyes so as to develop a treatment plan for you. If the cause is inflammation then the doctor will prescribe medications to help as inflammation can damage and scar the cornea resulting in a reduction in visibility in that eye. If the dry eye is caused by a disease then the goal is to target the underlying disease to stop the dry eye at its source. Another option is changing any medication that does not have dry eye as a side effect.
A simple procedure called punctal occlusion can clear up dry eyes. Punctal occlusion involves inserting small plugs in the drainage holes of the eye that lead to the nose to stop the draining of excess moisture. This procedure is done either as a temporary or permanent solution to dry eyes. Another easy solution that might be recommended is a change in diet or the use of eye drops to help keep the eye moist to make up for a lack of natural tears. The important thing is to seek help for dry eyes because they can be a signal of a larger underlying health condition.
