Even Jennifer Aniston has Dry Eye
Last Modified
In Canada, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) estimates that approximately 30% of Canadian adults suffer from dry eye disease (DED). In America, a newly published poll finds that as many as 47% of Americans experience frequent or occasional DED symptoms. In North America alone, that’s over 100 million people suffering from dry eye – an eye condition that is annoying at best, dangerous at worst.
Even celebrities, with all their money, fancy nutritionists, trainers, and access to health and beauty help the rest of us mere mortals can’t even imagine, are not immune! Take Jennifer Aniston: she spent years mistaking her dry eye symptoms for allergies.
Of course, we don’t have tears to spare for celebrity problems when we’ve got our own dry eyes to contend with. At Unionville Optometry, we know this much to be true because the vast majority of our adult eye care patients are suffering from some degree of dry eye, with suffering being the keyword here.
Dry eye is more than just irritation; it’s a chronic condition that can worsen over time without proper diagnosis and treatment. Here’s what you need to know.
Understanding Dry Eye: Causes, Symptoms, and Advanced Treatment Options
What Causes Dry Eye?
Dry eye occurs when the eyes don’t receive proper or sufficient lubrication from within. This may be the result of one of a handful of factors, including:
- Dysfunction of the oil-secreting meibomian glands in the eyelids (meibomian gland dysfunction, or MGD)
- Problems with the tear-producing lacrimal glands (located above the eye)
- Incomplete or infrequent blinking
- Poor tear drainage
- Or even damage to the eyelid surface or cornea
Compounding these issues, our 21st-century digital lifestyles reduce our natural blink rate by up to 70%, leading to dryness, irritation, and earlier onset of symptoms. (Note: given the pervasiveness of screen usage by teens and pre-teens – or screenagers as we like to call them – we are now starting to see dry eye patients at a much younger age.)
All of which to say: dry eye, an already common disease, is more prevalent than ever before.
But you don’t need to suffer in dry-eyed silence. Our Unionville Optometry Dry Eye Clinic, located in Markham, Ontario, has all the tools, tips and treatments to have you crying happy tears of relief once more.
What are the Symptoms of Dry Eye?
Dry eye symptoms vary widely from patient to patient. The most common, though? You can expect any of the following:
- Red or burning eyes
- Irritated skin on the eyelids
- Watery eyes (yes, ironically, this can be a sign of dryness)
- Brittle eyelashes
- Loss of eyelashes
- Blurry vision
- Headaches or discomfort when reading or using screens
- Gritty or sandy eyes, or even a foreign-body sensation beneath the lids
- Itchy eyes or frequent styes
- Or even no noticeable symptoms at all
It is worth noting here that dry eye is a spectrum, and symptoms often worsen gradually, making early assessment essential.
(For more information on the medical aspects of dry eye syndrome, you can explore reputable resources like the Mayo Clinic’s Dry Eye overview.)
How Do You Treat Dry Eye?
While many people rely heavily on over-the-counter eye drops to create fake tears to alleviate the symptoms, these are really just the eye treatment version of a Band-Aid! Don’t get us wrong: we love an effective eye drop for that immediate, if temporary, aaaaaahhh sensation, but for long-term relief, more robust, professional treatment options are necessary.
To truly address dry eyes, we need to restore proper gland function by treating the underlying problem: gland blockage and inflammation. Here’s how Unionville Optometry does just that:
Advanced Diagnostic Imaging: Lipiscan
As already mentioned, one of the most frequent causes of dry eye is MGD – a condition where the tiny oil glands in your eyelids become inflamed or blocked. These glands create the protective oil layer of your tears, and when they don’t work properly, the tear film evaporates too quickly.
Knowing this, to accurately detect dry eye and MGD, every patient over 19 who comes in for a full eye exam at our Unionville, Ontario optometry clinic receives Lipiscan imaging – a quick, painless infrared scan of the meibomian glands. This Lipiscan imaging reveals:
- If there are blockages or inflammation of the meibomian glands that can progress as you age, causing symptoms to worsen.
- Whether there is early gland dropout: once a gland has been blocked and inflamed long enough, it can deteriorate and disappear altogether. Although this gland loss is not reversible, early detection allows us to slow or prevent progression with proper treatment, such as IPL and Lipiflow.
Effective Dry Eye Treatments: IPL & Lipiflow
At Unionville Optometry’s Dry Eye Clinic, we offer two evidence-based, non-invasive, in-office treatments designed to target the root causes of dry eye syndrome:
1. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL)
- Reduces inflammation around the eyelids
- Treats abnormal blood vessels contributing to chronic irritation
- Improves meibomian gland function over time
2. Lipiflow Thermal Pulsation
- Gently heats and clears blocked meibomian glands
- Restores natural oil flow
- Helps rebuild a healthier, more stable tear film
- Produces positive results within a few weeks and improves glandular function for up to two years
Used together, IPL and Lipiflow deliver powerful, long-lasting improvement and help prevent the condition from progressing.
When to Visit a Dry Eye Specialist
The only way to know whether you have dry eye syndrome or MGD is through an examination by an optometrist who (a) specializes in dry eye and (b) ideally offers digital imaging of the meibomian glands like Lipiscan.
If you’re experiencing any symptoms of dry eyes, or if you simply want a comprehensive evaluation of your tear film and gland health, our Unionville Optometry team of dry eye specialists is here to help. Our optometrists will assess your symptoms, review your gland imaging, and recommend a customized treatment plan for lasting comfort and healthier eyes.
Call 1-905-477-4488 today to book your dry eye consultation – along with personalized treatment and care so effective there won’t be a dry eye in the house!