Dry Eye Treatment in Coronado
Dry Eye Is Usually Not What Patients Think
Dry eye is one of the most commonly misunderstood conditions we see. Patients often assume it means their eyes do not make enough tears, when in most cases the tears are being made and then evaporating too quickly because the oil layer protecting them is compromised.
Symptoms are equally misleading. Burning, grittiness, fluctuating vision, and even excessive watering can all point to dry eye. Watery eyes in particular surprise people, but reflex tearing is a common response to a surface that is not adequately protected.
Evaluation Before Treatment
We begin with a proper evaluation rather than an assumption. That includes examining the eyelid margins and meibomian glands, assessing tear quality and stability, and discussing the contributing factors in your daily life, from screen time to medications to the environment you work in. Dry eye rarely has a single cause, and the version of it you have may look nothing like the version your neighbor has, which is why a template approach so often falls short and why we do not use one.
Treatment follows from what we find. For some patients that means targeted lid hygiene and environmental changes, which sounds unglamorous but resolves a surprising number of cases. For others it means prescription therapy or a course of OptiLight to address gland dysfunction directly. We will explain what we found and why we are recommending what we recommend, in plain terms, so that you understand your own eyes better when you leave than when you arrived. That understanding tends to matter as much as the treatment itself, because dry eye is usually managed over time rather than cured in a single visit.
Finding out why your eyes are dry, then treating that, rather than reaching for another bottle of drops.
