Dry eye is a disease. Proper diagnosis is the first step towards relief. Our Shinagawa BGC offers comprehensive and efficient Dry Eye Testing.
What Is Dry Eye?
Dry eye is a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability with potential damage to the ocular surface. It is accompanied by increased osmolarity of the tear film and inflammation of the ocular surface.
Dry Eye Disease
Millions of people suffer from dry eye disease, or syndrome. Yet in most cases, it goes undiagnosed with a patient not even knowing he or she has dry eyes. Often, this is due to the fact that sufferers misunderstand the symptoms.
See the symptoms of dry eyes below to know if there’s a chance that you may have it.
Diagnosing Dry Eye Syndrome
Dry Eye Testing
Know If You Have Dry Eye Syndrome!
Dry eye is a disease. Proper diagnosis is the first step towards relief. Our Shinagawa BGC offers comprehensive and efficient Dry Eye Testing.
What Is Dry Eye?
Dry eye is a multifactorial disease of the tears and ocular surface that results in symptoms of discomfort, visual disturbance, and tear film instability with potential damage to the ocular surface. It is accompanied by increased osmolarity of the tear film and inflammation of the ocular surface.
Dry Eye Disease
Millions of people suffer from dry eye disease, or syndrome. Yet in most cases, it goes undiagnosed with a patient not even knowing he or she has dry eyes. Often, this is due to the fact that sufferers misunderstand the symptoms.
See the symptoms of dry eyes below to know if there’s a chance that you may have it.
Dry Eye Checklist
Redness
Burning
Itching
Fluctuation in vision
Tired Eyes
Feeling of sand or grit in eye
Contact lens in discomfort
Light sensitivity
Watery eyes
If you have two or more symptoms, you may very well have Dry Eye Disease/Syndrome. In that case, you should have your eyes checked. You can have your consultation at Shinagawa. We are well equipped to take a good look at your eyes to see if you may indeed have the disease and to map out a treatment for you.
Healthy Eyes
Dry Eyes
Dry Eye Risk Factors
Indoor environment
Air conditioning, ceiling fans and forced air heating systems all can decrease indoor humidity and/or hasten tear evaporation, causing dry eye symptoms.
Outdoor environment
Arid climates and dry or windy conditions increase dry eye risks.
Frequent flying
The air in the cabins of airplanes is extremely dry and can lead to dry eye problems, especially among frequent flyers.
Smoking
In addition to dry eyes, smoking has been linked to serious eye problems, including macular degeneration, cataracts and uveitis.
Health conditions
Certain systemic diseases — such as diabetes, thyroid-associated diseases, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis and Sjogren’s syndrome — contribute to dry eye problems.
Medications
Many prescription and non-prescription medicines — including antihistamines, antidepressants, certain blood pressure medications and birth control pills — increase the risk of dry eye symptoms.
Eyelid problems
Incomplete closure of the eyelids when blinking or sleeping — a condition called lagophthalmos, which can be caused by aging or occur after cosmetic blepharoplasty or other causes — can cause severe dry eyes that can lead to a corneal ulcer if left untreated.
Also, LASIK and other corneal refractive surgery can sometimes cause dry eyes. In most cases, however, dry eye discomfort after LASIK is temporary and resolves within a few weeks of the procedure.
Who can have Dry Eye Syndrome Testing?
Have been diagnosed as a potential dry eye sufferer
Have non-specific ocular discomfort
Have the need or desire for eye surgery (LASIK, Cataract, ICL, etc.)
Post refractive surgery patients
Works in low humidity environments
Long term glaucoma medication users
Contact lens wearers
Intense computer, TV, smart phones and tablet users
Our eye doctors will take a sample of tears from each eye and use our cutting-edge equipment to measure osmolarity. (The sample required is very small, thanks to advanced technology; our doctors will need an amount no larger than the period at the end of this sentence.)
Osmolarity is the accepted standard for diagnosing Dry Eye Disease. The Osmolarity Test will give our doctors a meaningful measurement of the health and stability of your tear film.
Once our eye doctors determine your osmolarity number using our precise test, he or she can design a treatment regimen tailored to your specific condition.
Osmolarity test is:
An objective and quantitative point-of-care diagnostic test that provides precise and predictive information
Intended to measure the osmolarity of human tears to aid in the diagnosis of dry eye disease, in conjunction with other methods of clinical evaluation
Why is tear film osmolarity so important to the cornea?
1. Abnormal osmolarity is indicative of potential corneal damage
2. Abnormal osmolarity impacts surgical outcomes
3. Used as a differential diagnosis of tear film deficiency
People with these symptoms often assume they are caused by external irritants, or that they are just part of life. In fact, Dry Eye Disease occurs when your eyes do not produce enough tears or produce poor-quality tears. This can happen for a number of reasons, including aging, hormonal changes in women, side effects of diseases or medications, and other causes.
That’s why it’s essential you get your tears analyzed by an experienced eye doctor. Only an eye doctor can properly diagnose your problem and treat it appropriately.
Recommended Treatment
Following the dry eye screening and test, if the results show that a patient is indeed suffering from dry eye syndrome, doctors normally prescribe corresponding eye drops, lubricants and/or medications that can treat the condition.
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