Dry Eye vs Allergies – How to Tell

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If your eyes constantly feel itchy or scratchy, you may have a condition known as dry eye. You may also have eye allergies. At Vision Source Family Eye Care, we want you to understand the difference between the two, so you can get the proper treatment.

How to Tell the Difference?

Based on symptoms alone, it can be challenging to distinguish between dry eyes and allergies. However, there is one symptom that indicates allergies are likely the culprit. If you’re experiencing intense itching, and especially if your eyes are watery or your nose runs, your symptoms are possibly due to allergies.

Eye allergies should also be directly connected to exposure to allergens. You’ll notice more problems when pollen counts are high. You may also have more problems when exposed to known allergens, like pet dander or dust.

With dry eye due to other causes, you might have itching, but the itching is going to be less intense. Dry eye is also more likely to feel like you have something in your eye. You may also experience a mucus-like discharge, depending on the underlying cause of the dry eye. If you suspect that you have dry eye, rather than allergies, you should schedule an appointment with an eye doctor in Brunswick, St. Marys, or Jesup, GA, to determine the underlying cause.

When to Visit the Eye Doctor

If you’re suffering eye allergy symptoms that don’t respond to over-the-counter medications or drops, then it’s time to make an appointment with your eye doctor in Brunswick, St. Marys, or Jesup, GA. Getting a professional assessment and treatment will help you get relief for your dry, itchy eyes.

Are you looking for help with your eye symptoms? Schedule an appointment with Vision Source Family Eye Care today.

What Treatments Are Available for Dry Eye?

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Are dry eyes making day-to-day life difficult? This condition can make even simple tasks uncomfortable, especially if you need to look at screens. But our eye doctors in Brunswick, St. Marys, and Jesup, GA, at Vision Source Family Eye Care offer treatment to help relieve dry eye symptoms.

Non-Prescription Eye Drops

If you have mild dry eye, we may recommend trying over-the-counter eye drops. These drops help ease dryness and increase moisture for a short time. They’re not a long-term solution for this condition.

Medicated Eye Drops

If you have moderate or more severe symptoms, we might prescribe eye drops for you to use. These are stronger and alleviate inflammation or help you produce more tears.

Tear Duct Procedures

If eye drops aren’t helping enough, we may recommend treatment that involves your tear ducts. We can place plugs in these ducts to help your eyes maintain moisture. Or we might talk to you about a procedure that closes those ducts permanently.

At-Home Strategies for Relief

Our optometrists can show you how to ease dry eye symptoms at home, such as placing warm compresses on your lids and keeping your eyelids clean and free of debris.

Lifestyle Changes

We may offer advice on what you can do in your everyday life to reduce symptoms, such as keeping your windows shut when pollen counts are high outside or making changes to your diet to include more foods containing omega-3 fatty acids.

Visit Our Eye Doctors for Dry Eye Treatment!

Are you trying to find a solution that eases your symptoms and helps your eyes feel more comfortable? At Vision Source Family Eye Care, we offer dry eye treatment in Jesup, Brunswick, and St. Marys, GA, including at-home and in-office options to consider for relief.

 What Are Common Signs of Dry Eye?

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Have your eyes felt uncomfortable or looked red? This can happen occasionally due to allergies or illnesses. But if it happens often, you may have what’s known as dry eye. Our eye doctors in Brunswick, St. Marys, and Jesup, GA, at Vision Source Family Eye Care provide care to treat this common eye-related condition. Let’s explore a few common signs you may be experiencing.

Changes in Eye Appearance

Dry eye can cause your eyes to look reddish or swollen. This may happen due to your eye glands not producing enough tears or having your tears dry up fast.

Eye Sensations

You might have any of the following sensations with dry eye:

  • Itchiness
  • Dryness
  • Burning
  • Grittiness
  • Stinging

It might feel like you have something in your eye, like sand, even if nothing’s there.

Watery Eyes or Discharge

In some cases, dry eye causes your glands to increase tear production, causing wateriness. Or you might have a mucus-like discharge that dries up on your eyelashes and eyelids.

Increased Light Sensitivity

Are bright lights bothering your eyes more? This is another symptom of dry eye that causes ongoing discomfort.

Vision Changes

Are you having trouble seeing? Dry eye may cause blurry vision in some cases, making it hard to do daily activities.

When to Seek Help

It’s time for treatment if you’ve had any symptoms of this condition. The right care can alleviate the discomfort it causes, helping your eyes feel better.

Schedule an Appointment for Dry Eye Treatment Today!

Are you experiencing signs of this eye condition? Our optometry team at Vision Source Family Eye Care offers diagnosis and treatment for dry eye in Jesup, Brunswick, and St Marys, GA. We can provide care that helps relieve discomfort and other eye symptoms.

The Different Types of Dry Eye Reviewed

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Did you know there are different kinds of dry eye? Which one do you have? Your optometrist in Brunswick, GA, can perform a few simple tests and let you know. But until then, here are the different types of dry eye.

The Different Types of Dry Eye Reviewed

Here is what you need to know about the different types of dry eye in Brunswick, GA.

  • Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye – This is when your eyes need more tears than your eyes are producing.
  • Evaporative Dry Eye – This is when the tears in your eyes evaporate too quickly.
  • Mixed Dry Eye – This is when you have both aqueous deficient and evaporative dry eye. So, your eyes don’t make enough tears, and your tear film is also unstable.

Your eye doctor will review your medical history, give you an eye exam, and then perform a series of tests to reveal if you have dry eye. And if you don’t, your doctor will be able to diagnose what it is you do have and treat it.

The Symptoms of Dry Eye

If you are experiencing dry, itchy eyes that burn, sting, or are sensitive to light, you might have dry eye. If you have mucus coming out of your eyes or have watery eyes with an abundance of tears that run down your face, you might have dry eye.

Risk Factors for Getting Dry Eye Disease

There are several risk factors that could result in you getting dry eye. There are environmental and lifestyle factors, taking certain medications, eye surgery, or even some neurological conditions or autoimmune conditions that increase your risk of getting dry eye.

Are You Looking for an Optometrist in Brunswick, GA?

If you think you might have dry eye but are not sure, please Contact Vision Source Family Eye Care to schedule an exam. The sooner you get your eyes checked, the sooner you will get some relief! And we can help you with that!

Common Tests for Diagnosing Dry Eye Disease

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If you think you have dry eye, you are going to need to see an optometrist in Jesup, GA, to diagnose and confirm it for you. And if you do have it, you are going to want some relief…right? An optometrist will go through the following steps to determine if you have dry eye disease.

Medical History Review

Your optometrist will ask you to answer some questions about your medical history. And they are going to want to learn about your symptoms, too. You can expect a lengthy list of questions that will help your optometrist understand your history.

Initial Eye Exam

At your initial dry eye exam in Jesup, GA, your optometrist will look for signs of dry eye. They will also look for other possible causes of your symptoms as well. After that, they will look to see how healthy your tear film is. The tear film consists of the three layers of tears covering your cornea. And finally, they will do some testing.

Tests Used to Diagnose Dry Eye Disease

  • Slit Lamp Exam – This test checks the amount of tears your eyes are making. They will shine a light into your eyes and use a microscope to examine your eyelids and eyes.
  • Schirmer’s Test – This one is an additional test that checks your tear production. The eye doctor will put a small piece of paper along the edge of your eyelid for a few minutes to check your tear response.
  • Tear Breakup Time Test (TBUT) – This test checks to see how quickly the tears in your eyes evaporate. The eye doctor will put some dye into your eye. They will then use a microscope to see how long it takes the tear film to break up.

Looking for an Optometrist in Jesup, GA?

Dry eye isn’t fun. And it’s so uncomfortable for most people, who just want to scratch their eyes out. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Please Contact Vision Source Signature Eye Care today. We want to help you get some relief.

6 Causes of Dry Eye Syndrome

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Dry eye syndrome affects people from all backgrounds. Yet, of the millions of people afflicted with dry eye syndrome, many of them have no idea what actually caused the condition to develop. If you suffer from dry eye syndrome, you can get treatment from your eye doctor in Jesup, GA. In the meantime, learn more about the six common causes of dry eye syndrome.

1. Smoking

Smoking irritates the eyes and has been shown to be a contributing factor to dry eye syndrome. Smoking also has a tendency to dry out the eyes, as well as mucous membranes. This is one reason why smokers often get more respiratory illnesses and have bad breath from a lack of saliva.

2. Insufficient Blinking

People blink at different rates, and it’s been discovered that those who blink less have a higher incidence of developing dry eye syndrome. Interestingly, when people look at screens, they tend to blink less frequently. Therefore, the use of screens is also a factor that can cause dry eye syndrome.

3. Previous Eye Surgery

If you’ve undergone eye surgery in the past, such as for glaucoma, LASIK, cataracts, or something else, you will have a heightened risk for dry eye syndrome. This is due to how surgery can affect the function of tear glands.

4. Allergies

Allergy sufferers often have dry eye syndrome, simply because their eyes become irritated in the presence of certain allergens. In a case like this, treating the underlying allergy may alleviate the dry eye symptoms.

5. Overuse of Eye Drops

Over-the-counter eye drops are okay for temporary use over a short period of time. But many people overuse them, thinking that they are helping with dry eyes. In reality, it may actually be the eye drops that are causing dry eyes, creating a vicious circle of overuse of eye drops, which exacerbates the condition.

6. Physical Abnormality

There may be a physical reason why the tear glands are not functioning as they should. In cases like this, corrective surgery may resolve the dry eyes syndrome.

If you suffer from dry eyes in Jesup, GA, contact Vision Source for an appointment. We offer diagnostics and treatment for dry eye syndrome for patients in our offices in Jesup, Brunswick, and St. Mary’s, GA.