Not a Dry Eye in the House (Hopefully!)

Dry Eye is a very common problem encountered daily in an eye care practice. It is often more than a minor annoyance - it is common to see extensive inflammation due to dry eye. We have a systematic approach to treat dry eye syndrome in my optometry practice.

The first step is to select the proper artificial tear for the patient. After a comprehensive evaluation of the patient's dry eyes, we usually start with a mild steroid drop combined with the artificial tear drops. There are dozens of artificial tears on the market. Which one I choose for my patient to try often depends on if the patients has evaporative dry or aqueous deficiency dry eye.

• Evaporative dry eye is caused by poor oil production in the oil glands (meibomian glands) in the eyelids.

• Aqueous deficiency dry eye is thought to be caused by a lack of tear production by the tear glands themselves.

For evaporative dry eyes, I like to use an artificial tear that contains some type of oil. This helps keep the "oil slick" on top of the tear film thicker, which helps prevent evaporation. A good example of this product is Soothe XP from Bausch and Lomb.

For aqueous deficiency dry eyes, I like a product with hyaluronic acid (H.A.). H.A. helps "glue" more to the eye, and often lasts for several hours per drop applied. A good example of this type of product would be Blink Tears from Abbott Medical Optics.

The next time you go to see your optometrist for your eye exam or contact lens fitting, ask the doctor if artificial tears would be a good option for you, and hopefully there will not be a dry eye in your house.


Steven Lutz, OD
Dr. Steven Lutz & Associates PC.
Serving Ann Arbor, Saline, Ypsilanti, Pinckney, Milan, Dexter, Chelsea, Brighton, Howell, Whitmore Lake and surrounding areas since 1988.