Dr. Brandon Chester Answers Your Eyecare Questions
Q: What are the typical treatments used to help people suffering from Dry Eyes?
A: There are several types of treatment for dry eye depending on the severity. Most treatment plans require different combinations of therapies to truly get a patient\’s dry eye under control. These therapies include artificial tears and ointments (Systane and Refresh), prescription drops (ex. Restasis and Xiidra), steroid drops/gel (Lotemax), Omega-3 supplements (MaxiVision), eyelid hygiene foams/cleaners (Avenova and Ocusoft), and oral medications (Doxycycline). We can even use autologous serum drops which are made from the patient\’s own blood in really severe dry eye situations. >> Read More
Q: What is the examination like to determine whether someone is suffering from Dry Eyes?
A: We use a short questionnaire when you arrive for your appointment to help determine if you are suffering from dry eye. Based on these answers and what you report to our doctors and staff in the exam, we then order specific tests to help us identify what type and severity of dry eye we are dealing with. We have an instrument called the TearLab that measures the osmolarity of your tears (salt content) to see if you fall in the mild, moderate, or severe range of dry eye. We add different types of dye in each eye to look at your ocular surface behind the microscope to see if any type of corneal damage already exists. We observe your blink rate, the height of your tear lake located at the edge of your lid, the health of your eyelids and tear releasing glands, and lid closure. We even have a test called InflammaDry that confirms the benefit of prescribing an ocular steroid to treat your dry eye. >> Read More
