Dry Eye Treatment

What’s the treatment for dry eye?

If you have been diagnosed with dry eye disease, treatments depend on what’s causing your symptoms. There are many different types of treatment that can relieve symptoms and help prevent future complications.

Over-the-counter eye drops. The most common treatment for mild dry eye is eye drops commonly called artificial tears or lubrication eye drops. These drops are available without a prescription and are typically a first line treatment for early symptoms due to dry eye disease.

Prescription medicines. If your dry eye is more severe and debilitating, more advanced prescription medications may be an option. Medications such as cyclosporines (Restasis or Cequa) or lifitegrast (Xiidra) might provide long term relief. These medicines are designed to decrease inflammation and help your body produce higher quality tears.

Tear duct plugs. If tears are draining too quickly from your eyes, your doctor may suggest putting plugs in your tear drainage system. These plugs can help keep your tears and medications on your eyes longer.

Lipiflow. In some cases, dry eye can occur because the oil glands along your lower and upper eyelids are not functioning properly. Because of this, your tears may be evaporating too quickly, resulting in, fluctuating vision, burning, redness, or even eye fatigue. Lipiflow is an FDA approved procedure that warms your oil glands to approximately 108 degrees Fahrenheit while massaging the glands to help improve their function and help prevent permanent damage to your oil glands over time.

Many options exist to treat dry eye disease. If health condition is causing your dry eye, treating that condition may also improve your dry eye symptoms. The doctors at Montana Eyecare can help determine what is causing your dry eye and help find the best treatment or therapy to get your eyes feeling, “normal” again!

Contact Us for Quality Care in Helena, MT

If you are suffering from dry eye disease, our optometry team here at Montana Eyecare can help. To learn more about dry eye disease or to schedule an eye appointment, give us a call at (406) 443-2121 or request an appointment online.