Many people deal with dry eye symptoms like irritation, burning, redness, and scratchy, watery eyes.
“Through COVID, it became really, really evident to me how many people are struggling with the amount of screen time they have,” said Dr. Evie Lawson of Eyes On You Seattle. “The three most common things that we talk about are blue light, how their eyes are working together and the strain they feel at the end of the day, and dry eye. Dry eye is such a huge problem right now.”
Eye drops do provide some relief, but that relief is often temporary. Treating the underlying issue can provide long-term results.
The issue for most people with dry eye is with the meibomian oil gland. It secretes oil to hold the tear film on the eyeball, and in cases of dry eye, it stops working properly. This causes eyes to feel dry and become irritated, leading to inflammation.
“The best way to treat this is with really deep heat and treating the inflammation that comes around it,” Dr. Lawson said.
Two innovative treatments offered at Eyes On You are helping dry eye sufferers. Radio Frequency (RF) treatment stimulates your body into restoring the oil glands. This helps maintain tear film and hydration on your eyes.
Intense Pulse Light (IPL) treatment uses wavelengths of light to penetrate the skin and target inflammation below the surface. It decreases redness and reduces inflammation.
“The really cool thing about these treatments is that the side effect, if you will, is decreasing your fine lines and wrinkles and evening out your skin tone,” Dr. Lawson said.
The RF and IPL treatments also provide lasting relief for many people, while eye drops work best for temporary relief.
“We want to get your tear film healthy again,” Dr. Lawson said. “It’s not going to help if it’s just draining out of your eyes.”
Special Offer: Get a free eye-safe lipid repair cream and sunscreen with the purchase of a treatment at Eyes On You. Mention New Day NW at the time of booking. Visit the Eyes On You website to learn more.
Sponsored by Eyes On You. Segment Producer Joseph Suttner. Watch New Day Northwest 11 AM weekdays on KING 5 and streaming live on KING5.com. Contact New Day.