We are the western slope leaders in Dry Eye care!

At Eyecare Specialties we are committed to healthy vision. And as Dry Eye experts we offer specialized attention through our Dry Eye clinic.

We understand your frustration with the limitations of traditional therapies and are committed to bringing you the most advanced technology available to treat this common disease – so that you can enjoy the greatest possible relief.

If you’ve been suffering with this painful condition – or think you may have it – we can determine the cause of your symptoms and apply therapy appropriate to your specific needs that may make your daily discomfort a thing of the past.

You Don’t Have to Live With Dry Eye Anymore

Dry, irritated eyes can be managed with new treatment that brings comfort and can restore quality of life.

Visit Eyecare Specialties to get an accurate diagnosis and a treatment plan tailored to your needs.

Dry eye is a long-term chronic disease that takes years to develop- and may worsen if left untreated.

There are two main forms of the disease: evaporative and aqueous deficient.

Evaporative Dry Eye

Evaporative Dry Eye is caused by blockages in the Meibomian glands located in your eyelids.

This condition of obstructed glands is known as Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). These glands are responsible for creating the lipid (oil) layer of tears. When the glands aren’t working as they should, you don’t have enough tear film oil.

Your tears- which lubricate your eyes and keep them comfortable-evaporate too quickly. An insufficient oil layer can cause your tears to evaporate 4-16 times faster.

Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye

Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye occurs when the lacrimal glands do not create a sufficient amount of aqueous (water) to keep the eyes moist.

Inadequate amount of tears. Tears are produced by several glands in and around the eyelids. Tear production tends to diminish with age or as a side effect of certain medicines. Environmental conditions, such as wind and dry climates, can also decrease tear volume due to increased evaporation. When the normal amount of tear production decreases or tears evaporate too quickly from the eyes, symptoms of dry eye can develop.

Poor quality of tears. Tears are made up of three layers: oil, water, and mucus. Each component protects and nourishes the front surface of the eye. A smooth oil layer helps prevent evaporation of the water layer, while the mucin layer spreads the tears evenly over the surface of the eye. If the tears evaporate too quickly or do not spread evenly over the cornea due to deficiencies with any of the three tear layers, dry eye symptoms can develop.

If you suffer from any of these symptoms from time to time....

you may benefit from a visit to our Dry Eye clinic.

• Dryness
• Discomfort and irritation
• Grittiness or feeling of a foreign body in the eye
• Burning or stinging sensation
• Tearing
• Redness
• Discharge
• Tiredness
• Itching
• Vision Disturbance
• Sensitivity to light

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How do we determine if you have Dry Eye?

In our Dry Eye Clinic, Dr. Eckroth will conduct an ocular surface disease evaluation and determine the likely causes of your dry eye symptoms. LipiView is a non-invasive, can be performed in our office, and takes less than 5 minutes. Lipiview takes an extremely detailed image of your eye’s tear film.

Calculations and images are instantly displayed on the LipiView monitor.

How Dry Eye can negatively impact your vision – and your life

The symptoms of Dry Eye can be uncomfortable – and a big burden.

Basic visual tasks, such as reading, using a computer, driving or watching television may become difficult. Wearing contact lenses may be impossible. And, you might find that symptoms worsen later in the day, keeping you from enjoying the activities you want to do.

Underlying the considerable discomfort is a real physical condition that needs treatment to stop the cycle of Dry Eye deterioration and worsening symptoms. Dry Eye is a chronic disease – and without proper management, the deterioration may look like this:

• Increased evaporation of tears
• Unstable tear film
• Damage to the eye surface
• Further discomfort
• Inflammation and cell damage
• Fluctuation and decrease of vision.

We have a variety of treatments available for you here at our Dry Eye Clinic.

Dry eye disease is a widespread and common issue for up to 49 million Americans. This chronic condition can have a significant impact on your quality of life, causing a foreign body sensation in your eyes, pain, blurry vision, and dry or watery eyes. Untreated, it can even lead to further eye health complications.

Despite these constant detrimental effects on quality of life, many dry eye sufferers are not aware that they’re suffering from dry eye disease or that real treatments exist. Instead, they just live with the discomfort.

At Eyecare Specialties, we have a team dedicated to improving your quality of life. If you suffer from dry eyes, we can determine the cause of your problems using the latest technology available. We can recommend a customized treatment plan designed to relieve your dry eye symptoms.

• BLEFEX : The first and Only Doctor Eyelid Cleaning Procedure to help maintain clean and healthy lids.
• LIPIFLOW THERMAL PULSATION SYSTEM :  is a significant technological shift managing evaporative dry eye.  Applying a combination of directed heat and pulsatile pressure, many find this effective in relieving the blockage of their meibomian glands.  
• INTENSE PULSED LIGHT (IPL) treatment is lightly applied to the skin to treat inflammation by stimulating the body’s natural healing process.

BlephEx®

The first and only doctor eyelid cleaning procedure to help maintain clean and healthy lids.

BlephEx® uses a soft rotating medical grade micro-sponge along the edge of your eyelids and lashes. This procedure removes excess bacteria, biofilm and bacterial toxins, which are the main causes of eyelid symptoms.

LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System®

If you’ve been unable to receive long-lasting relief from over-the-counter or prescription remedies you’ve tried, it may be because they haven’t been targeting the primary cause of your condition – the blockage of your Meibomian glands located in your upper and lower eyelids. Perhaps you have tried things like eye drops and warm compresses, which many find inconvenient and only offer short-term relief.

LipiFlow® is a treatment device that applies heat and massage to both the outer and inner eyelids. This application has proved to be an extremely effective process for clearing blockages found in the Meibomian glands, allowing them to produce the oils and function properly.

What Is the OptiLight by Lumenis & How Can It Manage Your Dry Eye?

We’re proud to offer OptiLight by Lumenis to our patients, specially designed for dry eye management.

OptiLight by Lumenis is a light-based, non-invasive treatment done in the area below the eyes to manage dry eye. The first and only IPL FDA-approved for dry eye management.

The treatment is safe, gentle, and is backed by more than 20 clinical studies.

How Does It Work?

OptiLight uses precise pulses of light to reduce the inflammation that is typically associated with dry eye disease, improve tear break-up time, and increase meibomian gland functionality.

This application can significantly relieve dry eye indicators and has a multi-factorial effect, including:

• Increasing tear break-up time
• Reducing the amount of demodex mites and bacteria living around your eyes
• Eliminating blood vessels that contribute to inflammation
• Improving meibomian gland functionality