Dry Eye

Evaluation and personalized treatment

Dry eye is a multifactorial, complex and chronic disease that affects the ocular surface causing discomfort such as dry eyes, gritty sensation and fluctuations in vision.

It is a common syndrome that affects up to 30% of the general population.

What produces dry eye?

Usually the dry eye is caused by a deficiency of tears (poor production) or because it is of poor quality due to Meibomian glands dysfunction  (the Meibomian glands produce a lipid that is an essential component of the tear film); accompanied by different degrees of inflammation.

Among the main risk factors for dry eye are: advanced age, contact lens wear, environmental factors (air conditioning, heating, spending a lot of time in front of a computer or electronic devices), hormonal changes, autoimmune diseases (Syndrome of Sjögren, rheumatoid arthritis, rosacea, fibromyalgia, etc.), eye surgeries among others.

For the diagnosis of dry eye, we perform a complete ophthalmological examination with special attention on the eyelids, the ocular surface and the tear film. There are special exams to assess the quality of the tear or its production, as well as questionnaires to assess the degree of symptoms.

What is the treatment of dry eye?

There are multiple treatments, depending on the causes and the stage of the dry eye. The most common are artificial tears that help improve lubrication of the eye, other measures may be necessary such as the use of gels, anti-inflammatory medications, modification of environmental factors or placement of tear plugs to increase the permanence of tears on the surface of the eye .

There are cutting-edge and more specialized treatments for the treatment of Meibomian gland of dysfunction, whose function is to improve the quality of the secretion of these glands (essential lipids of the tear film whose function is to prevent the rapid evaporation of the tear).

Dr. Natalia Hernández has extensive experience in the treatment of Meibomian gland dysfunction and currently has a equipment designed for the application of local heat on the palpebral surface, which considerably improves the secretion of these glands and therefore the dry eye symptoms.