What Is the Best Treatment for Dry Eyes in Titusville?

The one that fits the cause of yours, and that takes a closer look. Most of our patients begin with simple care at home: artificial tears, a heated eye mask, lid scrubs, and supplements. Then we ask you back for a dry eye evaluation, a visit that looks at why your eyes are drying out. What we find tells us whether you need more than the basics, and which treatment fits. Dry eye usually has more than one cause, so many patients use two or three treatments together. See dry eye treatment.

Most dry eye starts in the small oil glands along the edge of the eyelids. When those glands clog or shrink, the oily layer of your tears thins out and your tears dry up too fast. Age, hormone changes, screen time, wind, and air conditioning all play a part. So can contact lenses, some medicines, rosacea, and buildup on the lashes from bacteria and tiny demodex mites. Watery eyes can be a sign of dry eye too. The cause decides the treatment, which is why we look at the glands first.

We look for why your eyes are drying out. You fill in a short questionnaire about your symptoms and when they bother you. An InflammaDry test checks the surface of the eye for signs of inflammation. We photograph the oil glands inside your eyelids with infrared meibography. Then colored vital dye drops show us any dry or damaged spots on the front of the eye. The gland imaging is at both offices, and the doctor goes over what it shows with you. More on our dry eye devices.

The one we named at your visit, because the right drop depends on the kind of dry eye you have. If you have not been seen, a preservative-free artificial tear is the usual place to start. If your eyes still burn, sting, or water after a couple of weeks, book a visit and we will find out why. Both offices keep the products we recommend most on the shelf. Our online eye care store takes 10 percent off with the code AKEREYE, and we receive a portion of each order at no cost to you.

Usually the evaluation, yes. Dry eye is a medical condition rather than a glasses prescription, so medical insurance, Medicare included, tends to cover the visit. Some in-office treatments, such as light therapy, are often not covered and are paid for by the patient. We check your benefits before your visit and tell you what your plan covers and what it does not. Call (321) 269-2021 with your plan name and we will look it up. Our insurance page lists the plans we work with.

Dry eye is usually a long-term condition that we manage rather than make go away for good. It often has more than one cause, so the plan often has more than one treatment. Once we treat the cause instead of only the symptom, many patients get lasting relief and need less over time. We tell you plainly what to expect from your plan before you start it. Bring the drops you have been using, even the ones that did not help, to your dry eye visit.

Both, and all four of our doctors treat it. Dr. Greg Aker and Dr. Amanda Aker see dry eye Downtown, 338 S Washington Ave, on the second floor with an elevator. Dr. Sarah Koehnemann and Dr. Jennifer Bradley see it at Playalinda, 1114 S Washington Ave, all on one floor. The evaluation, the gland imaging, the light therapy, and OptiLight IPL are at both. Opti-Lift is the one exception: that unit cannot move, so an Opti-Lift visit is booked Downtown. Directions are on our offices page.