The Importance of Proper Diagnosis and Treatment of Dry Eye Syndrome

Dry eye syndrome is one of America's most common but significantly complex eye conditions. The importance of tears has been known for millennia—since ancient Egypt—but this condition remains without a cure.

The only form of dry eye syndrome that people recover from is the temporary one after laser eye surgery. In more common cases, the diagnosis of the exact form of dry eye syndrome you have is critical to the treatment options you can use.

What Are the Different Types of Dry Eye Syndrome?

Dry eye syndrome is a condition that affects the function of the tear film in the eye, usually by interfering with the production or secretion of tears. Two primary forms often occur due to specific causes: evaporative or unstable tears in dry eye and decreased or insufficient tears in dry eye.

The Tear Film

To better understand this condition, you must know how the tear film works and how it is constituted. The tear film usually has three main layers: mucus, water, or aqueous, and lipid, or an oily layer.

The mucus layer helps the tear film spread out, while the watery layer provides moisture and nutrition to the eye surface. The lipid, or oily, layer covers these two layers and prevents evaporation of the tear film.

Evaporative or Unstable Tears Dry Eye

In this form of the syndrome, the issue is the lipid or oily layer, which is why evaporation affects the tear film. Your tears naturally evaporate, but at a very slow rate because of the lipid layer. When the lipid layer is not working correctly or is missing altogether, it causes faster tear film evaporation. The most common cause of this form is MGD—meibomian gland dysfunction—a condition that impacts the glands responsible for producing the lipid layer.

Insufficient or Decreased Tears

This form of dry eye syndrome is the least prevalent of the two conditions, and it can occur when the lacrimal glands are impacted. There could be a number of factors affecting them that would result in low watery layer levels.

How Is Dry Eye Syndrome Diagnosed? 

Comprehensive Eye Exam

A comprehensive eye exam involves a series of tests and an evaluation of your medical history. From there, an eye doctor can determine what may have triggered your dry eye syndrome or what may be causing it.

Tear Volume Test

A tear volume test is an eye doctor's examination to determine how many tears your eye produces. It could either be performed through the Schirmer or phenol red thread test. In the Schirmer test, the eye doctor uses blotting papers on your lower eyelid and determines the tear volume by how much the strips soak up. The phenol red thread test involves pH-sensitive pieces of paper that change color and inform the eye doctor about the amount of tears. 

Tear Quality Test

These tests usually involve special dyes that can reveal the nature of your eye surface. They can help the eye doctor determine how fast your tears evaporate within a given time. It is excellent at identifying evaporative dry eye syndrome.

For more on the importance of proper diagnosis and treatment of dry eye syndrome, visit Family Vision Center at our office in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Call (262) 377-3937​​​​​​​ to book an appointment today.