Call Us
Phone: 503-585-6700
Fax: 503-585-3315
Email: info@dryeyecenterofsalem.com
Hours
Monday • 8:00 – 5:00
Tuesday • 8:00 – 5:00
Wednesday • 8:00 – 5:30
Thursday • 7:00 – 4:00
Friday • 8:00 – 4:00
Closed Saturday and Sunday
*Closed for lunch everyday from 1:00 to 2:00
Address
338 Hawthorne Ave NE
Salem, OR 97304
Dry Eye Syndrome can range from a mild irritant to a chronic problem. The symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome may include:
Dry, irritated, or red eyes
Excessive tearing/watery eyes
Inflammation
Sore or sensitive eyes
Itchiness
Burning
A gritty or pasty feeling in the eyelids
Crusty or gunky eyes
Blurriness
Dry eye can cause a whole lot of discomfort! One main cause of dry eye discomfort is Meibomian gland dysfunction or MGD. In fact, 86% of dry eye patients are affected by MGD!
Your meibomian glands control the lipids in the eye, called meibum. These glands are located on both the upper and lower eyelids. They can be seen as the white columns in the images to the right. Meibomian glands express meibum which combine with other substances on the ocular surface to create a thin film that consistently lubricates your eyes. Meibum is an essential part of your eye’s makeup as it prevents the evaporation of the eye’s tear film.
Meibomian Gland Dysfunction occurs when the meibomian glands fail to provide enough meibum. Chronic damage can cause these glands to shorten and in time disappear. Once the glands are lost, they are gone forever! Preserving these glands is one of the primary goals in treating MGD.
Dry Eye Center of Salem uses the latest diagnostic equipment and tools to quickly and accurately pinpoint the cause of your dry eye.
We provide custom treatment plans designed to maximize the relief of your dry eye symptoms AND treat the underlying cause of your discomfort. treatment options include:
Nutraceuticals
Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT)
Thermal Pulsation Treatment (LipiFlow)
Pharmaceuticals
Punctal Plugs
Amniotic Membrane
Regener-Eyes biologic solution
If you’re one of the millions of people who have persistently dry eyes, you know that dry eye syndrome can be a nuisance. But the condition, which happens when your tears don’t lubricate your eyes well enough, can be more than just uncomfortable.
Dry eye syndrome sometimes signals an underlying health problem. If left untreated over the long term, it may lead to complications. Here is a list of a few:
- Eye infections
- Eye inflammation
- Corneal abrasions or ulcers (sores)
- Vision loss
- Difficulty reading, driving, or doing other things that require good vision
How do these complications happen? Keep in mind that dry eye happens when your eyes don’t make enough tears to stay wet, or when your tears don’t work the way they should. And tears do more than help you express emotions — they keep your eyes healthy.
For one thing, they protect the surface of your eyes from infections by helping to wash away germs. But if you have dry eye syndrome, your tears don’t do this well enough. So you’re more likely to get eye infections. Eye infections, in turn, can cause complications including permanent vision loss.
Tears also carry away physical irritants like dust, dirt and allergens. So lack of lubrication in your eyes can lead to corneal abrasions (small scratches to the clear outer layer of your eye) or more serious corneal ulcers (sores on your cornea). Without lubrication allergens cause a more severe and frequent reaction.
There’s also a complicated connection between dry eye and eye inflammation.
Inflammation in parts of your eye, like the tear glands, can lead to dry eye. But damage to your cornea caused by dry eye syndrome can lead to more inflammation. That happens when your body sends immune cells where the damage is. So there’s a vicious cycle of inflammation and dry eye that can make the condition worse. This can lead to an Immune mediated response. This is when inflammation causes an alteration in cellular homeostasis. The etiology of this diseases is multifactorial including environmental factors, dietary habits and age. This process will cause tissue injury to the lid and glands due to the excessive inflammatory reaction. This will prime the system making you more susceptible to future flares and progression. When this happens a positive treatment outcome becomes more difficult.