If you are someone who suffers from dry, itchy, red and irritated eyes, we see you! If over-the-counter eye drops are no longer doing the job of relieving your dry eye symptoms, we can help.
Dealing with dry eyes is more common today than ever before. While your dry eye issue could be allergy-related, most experts agree that excessive screen time (computers, smartphones, video gaming, television) is likely to blame for increased dry eye symptoms in the vast majority of cases. Screen time can interfere with the quality and quantity of blinks, which results in dry eye symptoms.
“It’s been estimated that more than 50 percent of the population suffers from dry eye syndrome, but just because dry eye is common doesn’t mean you should just live with it,” said Dr. Jonathan Cargo, therapeutic optometrist and founder of Cargo Eye Care of Las Colinas.
What is Dry Eye Syndrome?
When your body can no longer produce enough tears, or the right type of tears, necessary to keep your eyes lubricated, it could be caused by Dry Eye Syndrome. Every time you blink, the oil glands and tear ducts in your eyes should produce tears that will coat the surface of your eye and protect it from outside contaminants. If the outer layer of the eye dries up, you may experience blurred vision, eye discomfort, headaches and possibly even infections. The medical term for this is Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), and it is the leading cause of chronic dry eye.
How Can I Know If I Have Dry Eye Syndrome?
Just come see us. At Cargo Eye Care, we will perform diagnostic testing and a complete exam that will help us pinpoint the source of your unique ocular condition. This is an important diagnostic step because chronic dry eye symptoms can mimic those of allergies and even some eye infections.
In some cases, warm compresses and prescription eye drops (Restasis and Xiidra) can help alleviate dry eye symptoms, but for those for whom these treatments don’t offer adequate relief, we have an advanced treatment for our patients living with chronic dry eye.
Simple Dry Eye Treatment That Works
We are proud to be one of the few eye care practices in North Texas to offer the Essilor epi-c plus®, a highly-advanced device that uses different types of light therapy to provide instant AND long-term relief to chronic dry eye symptoms. The OPE® IPL handheld device emits intense pulsed light waves while the mask utilizes Light Modulation (LM®) low level light therapy (LLLT). These therapies, when combined, provide patients with immediate and lasting relief of their painful dry eye symptoms by stimulating the Meibomian glands, removing any blockage and restoring the ability for your eyes to make healthy tears.
“While dry eye isn’t a serious, sight-stealing condition, it can greatly affect your quality of life,” said Dr. Cargo. “Thanks to these advanced therapies, we are able to help so many people live more comfortably, so they can enjoy their lives without the distraction of dry, irritated eyes.”
The in-office procedure is safe, quick and completely painless with no need for messy gels. The light treatments are completely customized to the severity of your symptoms and amount of melatonin in your skin. The device emits the prescribed amount of light to ensure optimal effect and maximum safety.
Seasonal Allergies Last a Little Longer in Texas
Even though the spring allergy season is over, grass and other environmental allergies continue throughout the summer, causing dry, itchy, irritated eyes. Cargo Eye Care offers Allegro eye drops from OPTASE(R), a line of eye drops recommended by eye care professionals. Alegro works with your natural tears to create a protective barrier from environmental irritants. Allegro is preservative-free and alleviates symptoms in just 30 seconds.
Cargo Eye Care also carries a range of OPTASE(R) drops and eye cleaning products that provide relief of mild to moderate dry eye symptoms and they are available at our online store. Ask Dr. Jonathan Cargo or Dr. Reena Patel if an OPTASE eye drop could work for you.
Your Vision Is Our Passion
It has always been our goal to help every patient achieve and maintain clear vision for a lifetime. And that will never change! Since 2002, we have been honored to care for generations of families in the greater Irving area. And we would love the opportunity to care for you and your family. From routine eye exams, glasses or contacts and the treatment of many eye diseases to pediatric myopia, vision correction and more, we are your full-service eye care provider for the whole family. Schedule an appointment today.
