Dry Eye Treatment | West Columbia, SC

Don’t Leave Your Eyes Out to Dry

If your eyes have ever experienced an annoying, gritty, teary feeling, then there is a chance you might have dry eye.

But wait—before you head down to the supermarket to load up on eye drops, you should know a little bit more about dry eye, its causes, and the treatments you might need to achieve your desired eye comfort.

Vision Therapy Institute is committed to providing leading solutions for all of your dry eye needs. Find out how we can help you see a little more comfortably by requesting an appointment with our team today!

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What Is Dry Eye?

Dry eye is a common eye condition that can develop for many reasons, but we can break every cause into 2 very distinct groups:

Aqueous tear deficiency, which is the lack of good-quality tears.
Evaporative dry eye, which is the lack of oils to prevent tear evaporation.

Both of these causes affect your tear film. Your tear film covers the entire surface of your eye and is made up of 3 different ingredients: mucus, water, and oil.

Each of these ingredients plays a vital role in your eye comfort. If your tear film lacks these ingredients, it can lead to an unstable tear film and dry eye symptoms.

Tear Film Ingredients

Mucus

Mucus, the innermost layer, is responsible for keeping your tear film adhered to the surface of your eyes.

Water

Water, produced by your lacrimal glands, is sandwiched between your mucus and oil layers. The water (or aqueous) layer is responsible for protecting your cornea, repelling bacteria, and keeping your eyes hydrated.

Oil

Oil, your outermost tear film layer, is produced by your meibomian glands and is responsible for sealing in the rest of your tear film. Without the oil layer, the other layers in your tear film would evaporate.

Causes &
Symptoms

Causes

Meibomian gland dysfunction is one of the most common causes of dry eye—an issue that can disrupt the flow of oils your tear film needs to prevent evaporation. However, dry eye can also be caused by:

Aging
Allergies
Poorly fitted contact lenses
Medications with dry eye side effects
Medical conditions like Sjögren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus
Laser eye surgery side effects (this is a common occurrence during the healing process)
Eye conditions like blepharitis
Working on a computer all day

Symptoms

Symptoms can vary between patients, but some of the most common include:

Light sensitivity
Blurry vision
Contact lens discomfort
Redness
Watery eyes
Burning
Stinging
Grittiness

Comprehensive Dry Eye Relief

Vision Therapy Institute is proud to bring you and your family relief. During a dry eye appointment, we’ll diagnose the cause of your symptoms and provide one of our many different treatments to manage your specific case.

We have invested in the Medmont Meridia topographer as an advanced imaging tool for diagnosing your dry eye. This multi-purpose diagnostic tool provides detailed images of your meibomian glands and allows us to measure your tear meniscus height and tear-breakup time.

If you do receive a dry eye diagnosis, among our treatments, we can offer:

Lumenis IPL

Lumenis intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy is the first FDA-approved treatment of its type in the United States!

IPL therapy uses light to heat blockages in your meibomian glands, a common issue that stems from meibomian gland dysfunction. By melting these blockages, your meibomian glands can produce oils to help support your tear film and eye comfort.

Lacrifill Canalicular Gel

Lacrifill Canalicular Gel is an injectable hydrogel designed to treat dry eye by partially or fully blocking tear drainage in the lacrimal canaliculi.

Unlike traditional punctal plugs, the gel is biocompatible, customizable, and applied noninvasively for a more comfortable and flexible solution. It solidifies at body temperature for secure placement and degrades naturally over time, eliminating the risks of extrusion or irritation often associated with plugs.

Lacrifill Gel is ideal for those seeking a reversible, tailored treatment for dry eye. It represents an alternative to traditional mechanical occlusion methods.

OptiPlus Tight Radiofrequency

OptiPlus Tight Radiofrequency is another treatment option we offer for dry eye that can be particularly effective for cases of meibomian gland dysfunction. The OptiPlus Tight device uses FocalRF technology, harnessing multiple frequencies to stimulate collagen production and reduce inflammation around the eyes.

The frequencies used by the OptiPlus Tight device can gently increase your skin’s temperature to promote healing and help restore normal function to meibomian glands.

NuLids

NuLids is a rotating brushing tool that cleans the margins of your eyelids, removing debris and blockages commonly found in cases of meibomian gland dysfunction or blepharitis.

You can purchase NuLids directly online here.

Zocular

Zocular skin products aim to treat one of the root causes of dry eye disease: inflammation caused by meibomian gland dysfunction. Their eyelid hygiene products help remove debris that contributes to dry eye to encourage healthy tear function.

Celluma Low Level Light Therapy

Celluma low level light therapy uses LED lights to gently heat the skin below your eyelids to relieve blockages in the meibomian glands. By relieving these blockages, the glands can introduce the oil your teams require to function healthily and keep your eye surface hydrated.

iLux

iLux treatments are a common option for managing the effects of evaporative dry eye. iLux uses heat and gentle pressure on both sides of your eyelid to melt away blockages common in meibomian gland dysfunction and help bring the healthy flow of oils back to your tear film.

EyePrint Custom Contact Lenses

EyePrint custom contact lenses can help provide comfort from irritating dry eye symptoms. These specialized prosthetic lenses are molded to conform to your eye’s unique shape so you can experience clear, comfortable vision while maintaining a stable tear film.

EyePrint offers 2 types of custom lenses, the EyePrintPRO and EyeFitPRO lenses, which are ideal for those with irregular corneal surfaces or moderately irregular-shaped eyes.

Moisture for Your Eyes & Skin

If using skincare products is part of your daily routine, you’ll want to ensure that the products you are choosing are not exacerbating your dry eye.

Even creams and cosmetics labelled with “sensitive skin” and “hypoallergenic” may contain ingredients that clog meibomian glands and irritate the sensitive skin around the eyes. We offer dry eye approved skincare products to help you keep your skin—and eyes—hydrated.

EltaMD has an innovative line of medically-backed skin care products from sun block to anti-aging products, cleansers to moisturizers and more. Ask our team about EltaMD and how a few changes in your beauty regime could make a difference for your eyes.

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Find Relief Today

You shouldn’t have to live with dry eye. Find out how our team can support your eye comfort and provide the relief you need. Request your appointment today!

Request Appointment