Your Dry Eye Guide

What's happening

Your tears are a three-layer recipe.

A healthy tear film has three layers: an oily outer layer that prevents evaporation, a watery middle layer that hydrates, and a mucus inner layer that helps tears stick to the eye.

When any layer is off — usually the oily one from blocked glands in your eyelids — your eyes feel gritty, burn, or paradoxically water excessively.

What helps

Here's the plan —
and why it works.

Daily routine

Artificial tears

Start with preservative-free drops. Use 4–6x daily or whenever eyes feel uncomfortable.

Warmth + pressure

Warm compresses

Heat melts the waxy oils clogging your eyelid glands. 10 minutes, morning and night.

Prescription

Anti-inflammatory drops

Medications like Restasis, Xiidra, or Cequa reduce inflammation so glands heal.

In-office

Advanced therapies

IPL, LipiFlow, or punctal plugs when drops alone aren't enough.

Common questions

Honest answers to common questions.

Why do my eyes water if they're dry?+

It sounds backwards, but reflex tearing is your body's emergency response to irritation. These tears lack the oily and mucus layers, so they run right out without lubricating the eye. Treating dry eye often reduces this watering.

Can dry eye be cured?+

It's more managed than cured. Think of it like skincare — once you find the right routine, symptoms improve and stay improved. Occasional flare-ups happen, especially in dry climates or during screen-heavy weeks.

Do I have to take drops forever?+

Maybe not. Many patients start with artificial tears several times a day, then taper as deeper treatments (warm compresses, prescription drops, in-office procedures) heal the underlying cause.

Will dry eye damage my vision?+

In mild to moderate cases, no — it's mostly a comfort issue. Severe, untreated dry eye can cause fluctuating vision and rarely corneal damage, which is why we treat it seriously even when it feels minor.

Is screen time making it worse?+

Definitely. You blink about 30% less while staring at screens. Try the 20-20-20 rule: every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds — and blink fully.

When your tears can't keep up.

Your tears are a three-layer recipe.

Here's the plan —
and why it works.

Artificial tears

Warm compresses

Anti-inflammatory drops

Advanced therapies

When to call us

Honest answers to common questions.

We're here when you need us.

When your tears can't keep up.

Your tears are a three-layer recipe.

Here's the plan —and why it works.

Artificial tears

Warm compresses

Anti-inflammatory drops

Advanced therapies

When to call us

Honest answers to common questions.

We're here when you need us.

Here's the plan —
and why it works.