Do you experience eye symptoms of dryness, redness, fluctuating vision, watery eyes, or a sandy gritty feeling? Well if you experience any of these conditions you may be suffering from a condition known as Dry Eye Syndrome. If you have not heard of this condition, you are not alone. It is estimated that 89% of the population has not heard of Dry Eye Syndrome, but an estimated 59 million Americans suffer from it. The good news is you do not have to suffer from the irritation of dry eyes any longer. "There are several new and innovative options to cure dry eye syndrome," says Dr. Brooker. "Dry eyes is a complex condition that if not treated properly can get progressively worse and lead to tissue damage on the surface of the eye, which can be irreversible."

Dry eyes can have such a variety of symptoms. Many patients believe because their eye is continually watering they must not have dry eyes. This is incorrect. As strange as it may sound, many Dry Eye suffers experience "wet eyes". This occurs due to the tear glands overproducing reflex tears. Reflex tears are the type of tears that our eyes produce when we are upset and crying. These types of tears are made up of the wrong components and are different then your natural tears that are needed to protect your eyes from the environment and from being dry. The tear film on the eye is made of three layers: the lipid layer, the aqueous layer, and the mucin layer. If any of these components are out of proportion you may be suffering from dry eyes.

The goal of the doctors at Advantage Family Optical is to cure your dry eye condition by restoring your tear film to its natural state.

Dry eye syndrome can also impact your ability to wear contact lenses. In fact this condition is the leading reason why people experience discomfort while wearing their lenses. Discomfort occurs because environmental evaporation dehydrates the contact lens, and therefore, it starts to pull tears away from the eye creating irritation and dryness. In order to wear contact lenses successfully, patients who suffer from dry eyes must first cure their dry eye condition.

"Dry eyes is a condition that gets worse with time, so the longer people wait to get intervention and treatment, the harder it becomes to reverse the effects of the condition," states Dr. Brooker.

Don't be one of the millions of Americans that think dry eyes is something they just have to suffer through. If you think you may have some of the symptoms associated with Dry Eye Syndrome, please make an appointment today to have your eyes evaluated by one of our expert doctors.