Do you suffer with Dry Eyes or Contact Lens Discomfort?
With modern life Dry Eye is fast becoming the most reported complaint of contact lens discomfort and irritated eyes.
Air conditioning, central heating is known to dry the environment, increasing screen use results in poor blinking leading to uncomfortable, irritated eyes. That’s without certain medications, refractive surgery & some systemic diseases such as Rheumatoid arthritis also contributing to poor tear production and quality.
So why do you need tears?
The tears are made up of 3 layers, the top layer is oil to lubricate the blinking action. The middle layer is watery to wash away foreign bodies and keep the eye clean. The layer closest to the eye is the mucous layer to help the tears stick to the eye. This combination of oil & water keeps the eyes healthy & comfortable. Imagine a car engine without any oil, parts of the engine will grate & grind together causing damage eventually causing the engine to seize up and stop working. The eyelids along with the oily tears lubricate the blink preventing friction between the lid & the front surface of the eye. Without this oil the lids will grate across the front of the eye leading to red uncomfortable sore inflamed eyes.
What Causes Dry Eye?
- Dry or dusty environments
- Prolonged computer use including tablets & mobile phones.
- Some systemic conditions such as Rheumatoid Arthritis and Acne Rosaca
- Some medications such as blood pressure & contraceptive pill
- Hormonal changes such as pregnancy & menopause
- Eye injury or infections
- Laser refractive eye surgery
- Age
- Eye lid malformation due to age, disease or injury.
Any of the 3 layers could be defective therefore, the first advice would be to book in with your optician to confirm diagnosis. The optometrists at Elliott & Heath are experts in dry eye & poor tears supported by ocular hygienists who can issue a full treatment plan.
What Are Punctal Plugs?
These are tiny plugs used to block the drainage of the tears away from the surface of the eye. This means the tears stay on your eye longer improving contact lens comfort and reducing the need for inconvenient eye drops. They are fast becoming the mainstay treatment of dry eye symptoms approved by Ophthalmologists.
Previously this treatment has been done in a hospital by a private Ophthalmologist as it is only available on the NHS for very extreme and rare cases. However this treatment is now available privately at Elliott & Heath. Our highly trained opticians will fit your plugs quickly & efficiently without the need for anesthetic as the procedure is completely painless.
Free Offer
The normal charge for this service is £99, however we are offering 2 people the chance to have plugs fitted for free on 10th October 2018.
The reason for this is Elliott and Heath are introducing a new type of dissolvable plug which fits into the punctum and slowly dissolves over a period of 6 months and, our practitioners need training. A qualified experienced optician will only fit you and an expert in the field of punctual plugs will supervise the procedure.
There is no need for any anesthetic as the procedure is completely painless and the appointment will last approximately 30 minutes.
You will be offered a free 30 minute appointment prior to the fitting in our dry eye clinic to ensure you are suitable for the procedure.
If you are interested in plunctal plugs just contact the practice for more advice.