Dry Eye Disease: Bigger Than a Bother

Do your eyes feel uncomfortable and irritated, almost as if something has gotten into them that you just can’t blink out? If this feeling persists over time, you may be suffering from dry eye disease.

Dry eye disease can be irritating, but the long-term effects can interfere with your eye health. This is especially true if you are a contact lens wearer. But you don’t need to suffer. At Trinity Hills Eyecare, we can help. Visit us to let our eyelid hygienist assess and treat your eyes.

What is Dry Eye Disease?

Dry eye disease occurs when the body doesn’t produce enough tears, or when the tears produced aren’t of good quality. In either case, the surface of your eye can be left with dry patches.

Many factors may contribute to dry eye disease. It can be caused by environmental conditions, medications, aging, certain medical issues, and allergies.

Dry eyes are common; one study estimates that around 6 million Canadians suffer from dry eye disease.

The Lowdown on Tears

It’s odd but true: our tears have more in common with saliva than with saltwater. They contain enzymes, lipids, electrolytes, and metabolites. Our emotional tears even have hormones that your regular tears don’t (those regular tears are called basal tears, and they keep your eye moist).

Your tear film is comprised of 3 layers:

The inner layer: This layer is made of mucus and keeps the whole tear fastened to the eye.
The middle layer: The thickest layer. It’s watery to keep the eye hydrated, repel bacteria and protect the cornea.
An outer layer: This layer is oily to keep the surface of the tear film smooth for the eye to see through. It prevents the other layers from evaporating.

The outer layer of your tears is made in the Meibomian glands. Meibomian gland dysfunction is a condition that occurs when the production of this tear layer is disrupted. We use a process called meibography to look into the glands for blockages.

Symptoms of Dry Eye

Dry eye has plenty of symptoms, all of them uncomfortable and irritating:

Stinging, burning or itching
Stringy mucus
Sensitivity to light
Eye redness
The sensation of having something in your eyes
Difficulty wearing contact lenses
Difficulty with nighttime driving
Blurred vision or eye fatigue
Watery eyes (as the body tries to make up for the irritation)

If you notice these symptoms, come see our eyelid hygienists for relief.

TempSure Envi & Dry Eye Treatment

If you struggle with meibomian gland dysfunction or want some help reducing noticeable signs of wrinkles and fine lines, TempSure Envi might be the right treatment for you!

TempSure Envi uses radiofrequency technology to gently warm your meibomian glands in your eyelids and loosen blockages contributing to your dry eye symptoms. It can also warm areas around your eyes to help produce collagen and address various cosmetic concerns you might have.

We follow a comprehensive dry eye evaluation and treatment process to ensure this technology is right for your needs.

Visit Us for a Consultation

First, we’ll have you come in for a consultation where we’ll examine your eyes, assess your dry eye symptoms, and develop a strategy based on your needs. If TempSure Envi is right for you, we will walk you through the process and what you can expect.

Depending on your symptoms, we might combine multiple treatments to help you achieve the comfort you’re looking for, like lid cleanings and lid scrubs.

The Treatment

On the day of your treatment, please ensure your face is washed and free of oils, creams, moisturizers, and makeup.

During your treatment, we’ll use the TempSure Envi device to gently warm your eyelids and the area around your eyes. This process can help loosen blockages in your meibomian glands and support tear film stability.

Follow Up Appointments

TempSure Envi can provide immediate results, but we may recommend additional appointments to help manage meibomian gland dysfunction and keep your eyes comfortable.

Eyelid Hygienists At Your Service

At Trinity Hills Eyecare, we like to think of ourselves as eyelid hygienists. We offer several gentle therapies to help keep your eyelids clean and healthy:

TempSure Envi

TempSure Envi is an innovative option to treat meibomian gland dysfunction, one of the most common causes of dry eye. The handheld device delivers radiofrequency waves to heat the deep tissues of the skin. These waves can also be used to heat the area surrounding the meibomian glands, unclogging them and allowing them to function correctly.

iLux®

The iLux® system uses thermal pulsation and gentle pressure to remove gland blockages in your lids. Once the system has measured your lids and been fitted appropriately, a combination of light-based heat and compression is used to warm the oil trapped in the meibomian glands and gently press it to the surface.

Lid Cleaning

Our lid hygienist will keep your lids free of debris to help relieve dry eye symptoms. A mild soap can be massaged in gently to clean the lid, and a hot compress can be used to ease irritation and stimulate the glands that produce tears. This process helps remove allergens, bacteria, and other foreign particles that may irritate your eyes.

Lid Scrubs

Depending on the cause of your dry eye symptoms, we may be able to use a lid scrub to remove bacteria, debris, and other substances crusted around the eyelid. Lid scrubs can be made with ingredients like antibiotics, tea tree oil, and chemical exfoliants. Pamper your eyelids under the supervision of an eye care professional.

Eye Drops

Different eye drops can be used to treat dry eye symptoms. Over-the-counter drops may be used to refresh eyes and help flush out irritants.

We can also prescribe eye drops that may help with chronic dry eye symptoms. At Trinity Hills Eyecare, we offer preservative-free drops to soothe your sore eyes.

Radiofrequency from TempSure Envi

Radiofrequency therapy, provided by TempSure Envi can be used to treat meibomian gland dysfunction and address minor cosmetic concerns like wrinkles and fine lines.

Using a small, handheld device, your doctor can target clogged meibomian glands to stimulate the release and movement of oil. Radiowaves generate heat where the skin meets the fat layer, helping to liquify meibum (oil) in the glands or produce collagen in your skin.

This process is gentle and noninvasive. Radiofrequency can also reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines, aging, and sun damage. Contact us to see if radiofrequency is right for you!