Your Source for Dry Eye Treatment in Jacksonville

Dry eye is more than a description — it’s a medical syndrome that comes with its own set of distinctive symptoms, discomforts and potential consequences. If you constantly experience the irritations and vision problems associated with this disorder, you need to take action against it, not only for comfort reasons but also for the sake of your ocular health.

Fortunately, the Jacksonville dry eye doctors here at VAL-Uvision can come to the rescue as your source for dry eye treatment.

Dry eye can be caused by all sorts of internal and external issues. Most of the time, it’s simply a by-product of aging. The tear glands normally produce a consistent quantity of tears, which coat and protect the eye’s surface with a three-layered film of water, mucous and oils. Tear production declines with age, and this can cause chronic dryness.

Medications or wind (even from ceiling fans) can also cause dry eye, as can Sjogren’s syndrome and other autoimmune ailments. Additionally, anything that interferes with blinking can dry out your eyes, since blinking triggers tear production. This is a problem for many computer users who fail to blink properly as they stare at their screens.

Signs You May Need Jacksonville Dry Eye Treatment

Dry eye can sneak up on you, but once you have it, you’ll find it hard to ignore. Symptoms of dry eye include:

• Redness
• Itching or burning
• Exaggerated reactions to glare
• Eye fatigue
• A gritty or “foreign body” feeling in the eye
• Blurred vision
• Watery eyes (in response to discomfort)

If you’re contending with these symptoms, you need to take them seriously by seeking Jacksonville dry eye treatment. Chronically dry eyes are more prone to infection, damage from foreign bodies and possible long-term complications such as corneal ulceration.

Schedule Your Jacksonville Dry Eye Treatment Today

Effective Jacksonville dry eye treatment begins by isolating the underlying cause of your dryness. Our skilled team will ask you about your medical history and any conditions you have that might contribute to a case of dry eye. You may need to ask your primary care provider to check for these conditions, or you may need to request an alternative to any current medication that might be causing your dry eye. We will also evaluate your tear production, not only for quantity but also to check the ratio of ingredients in the tear film. This information can help us decide what kind of eye drops may bring you the most short-term relief.

Lifestyle changes can also play a role in our Jacksonville dry eye treatment. You might need to start taking more frequent breaks from your computer work, for instance, or you may need to stop sleeping underneath a ceiling fan. Even nutritional changes such as an increased omega-3 intake can prove helpful. Call VAL-Uvision at any of our 2 optometry offices in Jacksonville to schedule a consultation. We can help you say goodbye to dry eye!