Dry eye isn’t always as simple as needing more tears. At The Eye Care Studio’s Dry Eye Center, Dr. Ame Cline takes a look at your tear film, oil glands, and ocular surface to understand what may be contributing to your symptoms.
Find Lasting Relief
Dry Eye Treatment in Delaware, Ohio
Are your eyes Always itchy?
Dry Eye Is More Than “Not Enough Tears”
Healthy tears need the right balance of water and oil to keep the surface of your eyes comfortable and protected. Dry eye disease can develop when you don’t produce enough tears, your tears evaporate too quickly, or something disrupts the quality and stability of your tear film.
One common contributor is meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). These tiny glands along your eyelids produce oils that help keep tears from evaporating too quickly. When your tear film becomes blocked or isn’t working properly, it can become unstable, and your eyes may feel dry, irritated, or uncomfortable.
Optometrist Recommended
Shop Dry Eye Products
Keeping up with your recommended home care is easier when you know where to find the right products. The Eye Care Studio has partnered with Dry Eye Rescue to give patients convenient online access to dry eye products.
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Are Any of These Familiar?
What Dry Eye Feels Like
Dry eye symptoms aren’t the same for everyone. Some patients notice constant irritation, while others experience symptoms that come and go. Common dry eye symptoms may include:
- Burning, stinging, or irritated eyes
- A gritty or sandy sensation
- Redness
- Watery eyes
- Fluctuating or blurry vision
- Sensitivity or discomfort in wind or dry environments
- Eye fatigue or discomfort during screen use
- Difficulty wearing contact lenses comfortably
Persistent symptoms deserve a closer look. Rather than guessing at the cause. A comprehensive dry eye evaluation can help us better understand what’s happening.
How We Find The Cause
Comprehensive Dry Eye Evaluations in Delaware
There’s no single dry eye test that tells us everything. At The Eye Care Studio, Dr. Cline evaluates different parts of your tear system and ocular surface to build a complete picture of why your eyes feel the way they do.
Depending on your needs, dry eye testing may include non-invasive tear breakup time, meibography, tear prism assessment, and a detailed evaluation of your ocular surface.
Your tear film needs to remain stable between blinks to keep your eyes comfortable and your vision clear. Non-invasive tear breakup time helps us evaluate how quickly that tear film begins to break apart, giving Dr. Cline useful information about tear stability and evaporation.
Meibography allows us to take a closer look at the meibomian glands inside your eyelids. Because these glands produce the oils that help stabilize your tears, evaluating their structure can provide important information when meibomian gland dysfunction may be contributing to chronic dry eye.
Dr. Cline also evaluates the surface of your eyes and eyelids for signs that may help explain your symptoms. Those findings are considered alongside your tear-film testing, medical history, medications, lifestyle, and the treatments you’ve already tried.
No One-Size-Fits-All Solution
Finding the Right Dry Eye Treatment Starts With You
Test results are only part of the picture. Dry eye can be influenced by your health, medications, environment, screen habits, contact lens wear, previous treatments, and everyday routine.
Our Delaware eye doctor brings those pieces together with your diagnostic findings to create a treatment plan tailored to your eyes. For some patients, supportive home care may be enough. Others may benefit from prescription medications or targeted in-office treatments.
Our In-Office Solutions
Our Dry Eye Treatments in Delaware
Once we understand what may be contributing to your dry eye, Dr. Cline can build a treatment plan around those findings. Your care may combine at-home therapies, prescription medications, and in-office treatments.
The Eye Care Studio offers Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy as an advanced option within our dry eye program. Dr. Cline may recommend IPL if your examination and diagnostic findings indicate it is appropriate.
Radiofrequency With Forma-I
Forma-I by Envision (InMode) uses controlled radiofrequency energy around the eye area. Dr. Cline may incorporate RF into a personalized dry eye treatment plan based on your eyelid, meibomian gland, and ocular surface findings.
Prokera® Amniotic Membrane
For certain ocular surface concerns, we may recommend Prokera®, a therapeutic amniotic membrane placed on the eye. This option is for patients who may benefit from more advanced ocular surface support.
Serum Tears & PRP Compounded Tears
For patients with more complex ocular surface needs, autologous serum tears and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) compounded tears are customized options that more closely match the natural components of tears.
Punctal Plugs
Punctal plugs are tiny devices placed in the tear drainage openings to help tears remain on the eye's surface longer. For appropriate patients, they can be part of a broader strategy for improving ocular surface lubrication and comfort.
ZEST Treatment
ZEST is an in-office eyelid-cleansing treatment that thoroughly cleans the eyelid margins. Keeping the lids and lashes clean can be an important part of managing ocular surface concerns when debris and buildup are contributing factors.
Care Outside The Office
Prescription & At-Home Dry Eye Care
Your personalized plan may also include prescription medication and supportive therapies that become part of your everyday routine. Depending on your needs, Dr. Cline may recommend:
- Prescription dry eye medications
- Lid cleanser and hypochlorous spray
- Warm compresses
- Triglyceride omega-3 supplements
- Nighttime ointment
- Artificial tears
No more guesswork
Test-Guided Omega-3 Support With Zinzino
Nutrition can be another piece of your personalized wellness plan. The Eye Care Studio offers access to Zinzino’s Balance Concept, which pairs omega-3 supplementation with at-home fatty-acid testing so you can understand your current levels.
The Zinzino BalanceTest uses a small dried blood sample to measure your fatty-acid profile, including your omega-6:3 ratio and omega-3 index. Results provide a baseline to guide your nutritional routine and track changes over time.
Lasting Relief Starts Here
Visit Our Dry Eye Center in Delaware
If you’ve been cycling through eye drops without understanding why your eyes still burn, water, sting, or feel gritty, it may be time for a different approach. Schedule a dry eye evaluation with Dr. Ame Cline at The Eye Care Studio.