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Dry eyes occur when eyes don’t produce enough quality tears to supply necessary nourishment and lubrication to the surface of the eyes.
There are three layers of the eye that can contribute to dry eye disease: the oily layer, the mucus layer, and the watery layer.
Each of the layers requires slightly different treatment to relieve symptoms of dry eye disease.
Orbit Eye Centre in Calgary provides treatments for all three of the factors that cause discomfort to patients.
There is no one single cause of dry eye. It usually is a combination of many factors which may include:
If you are experiencing any of the above symptoms please contact us to discuss possible treatment options like IPL for Dry Eyes or Orbit exclusive Lid Care Clinic (LCC).
Orbit Eye Centre provides treatment for dry eyes and recurring infectious problems such as blepharitis and Meibomian gland dysfunction. These treatments include BlephEx, a professional exfoliation of the infected crusts that develop with blepharitis and prolong the condition. If you have any of the conditions that we mention here, you may benefit from professional attention and treatment and from BlephEx treatment, Lumina IPL therapy, and professional-grade eye care products.
Blepharitis causes inflammation of the eyelids and can lead to sties, chalazia, and a reduction of oil secretions which results in dry eyes. This problem can recur again and again, causing red irritated eyes, and making it more than just a nuisance. Dry eyes due to reduced tearing and oil secretions can lead to infections of the cornea and threaten your vision as well.
Symptoms:
Blepharitis may contribute to the following problems:
A red and painful lump on the edge of an eyelid is called a Stye. It may or may not be filled with a small amount of pus. Although most Styes appear on the outer edge of the eyelid, they may occur on the inner edge as well. The Stye is an infection of an oil gland (Meibomian Gland) on the eyelid.
Blepharitis is one of the leading causes of Styes, however, there are many reasons for Stye to appear on eyelids. Some of the reasons leading to eyelid inflammation are dirty makeup products and tools, frequent touching of eyes with dirty hands (for example when using contact lenses) and skin conditions such as rosacea.
Some Styes go away on their own when treated at home with a warm compress and eyelid scrubs. Unfortunately, not all Styes can be treated at home. Orbit Eye Centre and its eye specialists offer Stye treatments that range from at-home tool kits to in-office treatments and education sessions as well as Stye removals in more severe cases.
When secretions build up in a blocked Meibomian gland on the eyelid, a lump occurs. It may or may not be infected and is usually not painful. The blockage is caused by thickened secretions. While this condition often goes away without treatment, it may occur often and can cause blurred vision if the Chalazion occurs on the inner aspect of the eyelid. Chronic and untreated blepharitis is usually at fault for persistent and recurring Chalazia.
Your tears protect your eyes and the oil from the Meibomian glands is an important part of your tears. When you have reduced oil secretions, the tear film will evaporate very quickly, and you end up with dry eyes and an increased risk of corneal infections.
These are oil glands in the eyelids. They supply eye oil (lipids) to your tears. Without enough oil, tears dry out faster causing persistently dry eyes. This may occur with or without inflammation of the lids such as blepharitis, chalazia, or styes.
Treatment of blepharitis consists of cleaning the eyelids and keeping them free of infected crusts. If your blepharitis is mild and infrequent, you can treat by lightly scrubbing your eyelids with a cotton swab, baby shampoo, and water. If your condition is severe, Dr. Punja can provide professional care that includes precise cleaning, antibiotics, and steroid eye drops.
Your doctor may recommend this treatment for your blepharitis. It consists of putting a protective shield on each eye followed by exfoliation of the eyelid margins using a rotating surgical sponge and lid-cleaning solution. The exfoliation removes the polysaccharide biofilm as well as the accumulated debris, dead skin, and bacteria on the eyelid margins. Microbes produce biofilm consisting of proteins, DNA and sugars that are integral in the formation of bacterial communities. These sugars act as a glue, allowing bacterial cells to adhere to surfaces and resist removal by your normal tear production. This build-up of bacteria causes the redness, burning, irritation and watering common with blepharitis.
Our experts will then instruct you on how to proper lid scrubs at home to maintain good eyelid hygiene. This treatment routinely helps for three to six months.
There may be a bit of redness of your eyelids after the procedure, but artificial tears will help if the redness lasts longer than a day.
Because inflammatory skin conditions like rosacea can cause chronic blepharitis, a treatment that your doctor may recommend is intense pulsed light therapy, IPL. This treatment targets inflamed blood vessels around the eyes thus reducing one of the main causes of inflammation.
Dr. Karim Punja, an Ophthalmologist at the Calgary Orbit Eye Centre, specializes in oculoplastic surgery and cosmetic and reconstructive eyelid surgery. He has extensive experience in blepharoplasty (droopy eyelids), Botox & fillers, lacrimal & orbital surgery, and cataract surgery.
Dr. Chirag Shah is a comprehensive Ophthalmologist in Calgary and retinal medical specialist. His practice areas focus on retinal diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), retinal detachments, retinopathy of prematurity (blinding retinal disease in premature babies), diabetic retinopathy, hereditary eye diseases, and hypertensive retinopathy.
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