Every part of your eye plays a role in eye comfort and health. This includes the eyelids and glands that produce all the elements that make up your tears.
Take dry eyes, for example. One cause of dry eyes is an imbalance of the tear film, made of water, oil, and mucin. When the glands that produce the oily layer become blocked due to blepharitis, or inflammation of the eyelids, tears evaporate more quickly.
A comprehensive eye exam can check the health of your eyes, diagnose dry eyes, and provide treatment for relieving symptoms. While you may have heard about numerous dry eye treatments, such as artificial tears or prescription eye drops, relief of symptoms is usually only temporary.
BlephEx is one treatment option that can relieve symptoms by removing the blockages that lead to dry eyes for longer-lasting relief. We provide dry eye therapy with BlephEx, so you don’t have to live with gritty, irritated eyes.
More About Dry Eyes & Blepharitis
Dry eyes occur when your eyes produce insufficient tears or poor-quality tears. Poor-quality tears result from an imbalance in any one of the tear film layers: water, oil, or mucin.
A problem with the oil glands or meibomian glands causes blepharitis. Problems can result from:
- Changes to the amount or quality of the oil produced
- The gland itself
- Clogged gland openings
It’s also caused by having more bacteria than normal or dandruff of the scalp and eyebrows. This bacteria can be found on the face and eyelids, but excess bacteria can cause infection in the eyelids.
Blepharitis can lead to dry eye syndrome. Initially, blepharitis and dry eye syndrome were thought to be 2 individual eye conditions. One study suggests describing it as one chronic disease—dry eye blepharitis syndrome (DEBS), with dry eyes occurring in its late stages.
There are some overlapping symptoms in blepharitis and dry eye syndrome. But here they are under each condition:
Symptoms of dry eyes:
- Burning
- Sandy feeling
- Eye pain
- Redness
- Watery eyes
- Stringy mucus
- Eye fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Sensitivity to light
- Contact lens discomfort
Symptoms of blepharitis:
- Gritty or burning sensation
- Excessive tearing
- Irritation
- Itching
- Redness on the lining of the eyelids
- Swollen eyelids
- Crusting of the eyelids
- Blurred vision
BlephEx Treatment for Dry Eyes
BlephEx is an in-office treatment developed for blepharitis. If your dry eyes result from inflamed eyelids or blocked meibomian glands, BlephEx can provide a solution.
BlephEx treatments are administered with a handheld device. The device comes with a sponge that spins to gently clean, exfoliate, and remove debris and bacteria from the eyelashes and eyelids. BlephEx treatments have shown positive effects in treating dry eye symptoms.
It also clears clogged oils so tears can achieve the necessary balance they need to lubricate the eyes and prevent them from evaporating. Depending on the severity of your symptoms, you can notice immediate relief following your treatment.
To prevent and manage blepharitis and eyelid hygiene, you may require multiple treatments over the course of a few months. Combining BlephEx with other treatment options, such as LipiFlow, the doctor can warm the glands in your eyes to help release the oils for healthier balanced tears.
Benefits of BlephEx Treatments
BlephEx treatments can provide many benefits for those with blepharitis and dry eyes. These include:
- Treatment time is short, usually under 10 minutes.
- There is no downtime. You are okay to go back to your daily routine after the treatment.
- BlephEx treatments are non-invasive and pain-free as it gently removes excess debris and bacteria from the eyelids.
- You can experience noticeable relief and comfort almost immediately after treatment. However, this can depend on the severity of your symptoms.
- Providing long-term relief with repeat treatments every few months. Your eye doctor can help determine the frequency of repeat treatments.
- Maintaining eyelid hygiene.
Long-Lasting Relief from Dry Eyes
Over 50% of all patients suffer from symptoms associated with insufficient eyelid hygiene. If you suffer from recurring dry eyes, possibly caused by blepharitis, BlephEx can provide long-term relief from your symptoms.
To find the right solution for your dry eyes, book an appointment with the optometrists at Precision Eye Care today.
