Dry Eyes
Understanding Dry Eye And How It Presents
Dry eye syndrome is a common condition that afflicts an estimated 16 million Americans. It is caused when the eyes do not produce enough tears or when the tears evaporate too quickly.
If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, reach out to our office in Murray, UT, to speak with our eye care experts:
- Eye fatigue
- Blurry vision
- Excessive tearing
- Sensitivity to light
- Sandy feeling in the eyes
- Persistent stringy eye mucus
- Difficulty wearing contact lenses
- Eye stinging, burning or scratchiness
Dry Eye Is Manageable
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With Dry Eye Syndrome, patients may grow accustomed to the constant or intermittent symptoms, like burning and eye fatigue. Though there is no cure for the condition, it is manageable. Dr. Wooldridge can work with you to find relief from your symptoms. He can also educate you about exacerbating factors to dry eye, as well answer any questions about the condition itself.
What is Dry Eye? Explore Common Questions and Answers
Wondering how dry eye works? Or do you want to find out more about how it's managed and diagnosed? These helpful videos can give you background on the subject until it's time to visit Dr. Wooldridge. He's always happy to educate his patients — so feel free to come to our Murray, UT, office with plenty of questions.
5-Star Reviews From Salt Lake City
Wagner
2023
I'm really, really grateful for the excellent professionals who work at the Eye Foundation, starting with the high professional level, like Tiffany and Lesley at the front desk... To the doctors who treated me so promptly!
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Tom
2023
I have been treating at the eye foundation for over 25 years now, i was diagnosed with glaucoma at the age of 39. So if not for the eye foudation i would be blind now. I highly recommend the Eye Foundation of Utah. The doctors and staff are amazing i would not go anywhere else. Thank You Eye foundation of Utah for my sight.
View On GoogleWe Offer A Variety of Treatments
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Dr. Wooldridge can manage your dry eye with a variety of options in addition to artificial tears and PROKERA® amniotic membranes. He'll work with you to find the right treatment or combination of treatments. To better understand how these treatments can benefit you, let's first take a look at the causes of dry eyes.
Amniotic Membranes
This treatment can reduce eye inflammation, minimize corneal scarring, and restore cornea health. Similar to a contact lens, the membrane is placed onto the front surface of the eye and left in place for roughly five days. Dr. Wooldridge offers both cryopreserved membranes (Prokera®) and dehydrated membranes. Dr. Wooldridge will review both types with you and determine which is the better option in your particular case.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) An Important Advancement in Treating Evaporative Dry Eye
Tears consist of water, oil, and mucus. Water keeps the eye moist, mucus helps tear film stick to the ocular surface, and oil keeps tears from evaporating too quickly. If your tears evaporate too quickly, it could be due to dysfunction of the meibomian glands, which lay along the edges of your eyelids and provide the necessary oil (meibum).
Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy by Dr. Wooldridge involves using Optima IPL technology to deliver quick flashes of broad-spectrum light to the areas around the eyelids. This can clear clogged meibomian glands while coagulating abnormal blood vessels that cause meibomian gland inflammation.
Patients often begin to experience results around the third or fourth 20-minute treatment session. Each session is performed about every three weeks. There is no downtime after IPL treatment, although you should limit sun exposure for a couple of days, and be sure to use sunblock or sunglasses as directed.
