Dry Eye Treatment Options

Regener-Eyes®
The power of a biologic in the ease of an eye drop. 

The science of regenerative medicine focuses on stimulating the body’s own natural ability to heal, repair, and regenerate.

Regener-Eyes® is a biologic eye drop made of anti-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors. These types of proteins have been shown to reduce inflammation and help stimulate the ocular surface to heal, repair, and regenerate. These proteins are necessary for cell function, overall health, and homeostasis.

How these proteins work

• Anti-inflammatory cytokines help to reduce inflammation.

• Growth factors aid in healing, repair, and regeneration.

Autologous Serum Drops

Your tears are complex in nature and crucial to eye health. Unfortunately, patients with severe dry may just not produce enough tears to remain comfortable, and supplementing natural tear production with artificial tears or lubricants is often inadequate. Many people have underlying medical issues which cause or worsen dry eye, including diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis and thyroid disease. Others take medications which diminish tear production. In many cases, there may not be a “quick fix” for the problem. At the Dry Eye Optometry Center of Orange County, we work to find relief for patients with dry eye and to prevent long term damage to the ocular surface resulting from a lack of tear production.

What are Autologous Serum Eye Drops? Autologous means that the donor and the recipient are the same person. The eye drops in this case are made from your own blood. Red blood cells and clotting factors are removed, leaving behind blood serum. This is diluted with a sterile, preservative-free solution to produce a tear substitute that is unique to the patient, and contains many important growth factors and nutrients normally found in healthy tears. Since blood and tears have an almost identical salinity and pH, there is no issue of burning or stinging upon instillation. Because they are non-preserved, the drops are stored in the freezer until you need them.

How do you make them? The Dry Eye Optometry Center of Orange County has contracted with a local laboratory to easily and efficiently draw your blood and process it into usable eye drops in the same day. .

How much do they cost? The cost for autologous serum eye drops varies by the amount of blood drawn and the number of bottles produced from the sample. In general, the laboratory charges $250 for a four to six-month supply of the drops.

Will my insurance cover the cost? Insurance will probably not pay for serum eye drops any more than they pay for artificial tears. However, we will happily submit a letter of medical necessity on your behalf if you wish to challenge the claim.

When will I know if they’re working? Everyone is different, but for those patients who experience relief using autologous serum eye drops it is usually seen within the first few weeks.   

Scleral Lenses

Nearly five million Americans over the age of 50 suffer from dry eye syndrome. These patients complain of eyes that are dry, itchy, irritated, and sometimes downright painful. Eye Drops and artificial tears can deliver relief but is no more than a temporary solution. Furthermore, since artificial tears containing preservatives can only be administered up to 4 times per day, some find that they cannot achieve sufficient relief through such means. As a result, many patients that suffer from chronic dry eyes eventually end up seeking alternative methods of treatment.

One option to solve dry eye is the use of scleral lenses. Though commonly used to treat corneal irregularities and refractive errors, scleral lenses can also provide great relief to dry eye patients. Here are six reasons why.

1. They don’t irritate the cornea as other contacts do: For patients that require vision correction but also have dry eye syndrome, contact lenses are often not an option. Standard soft lenses sit on the cornea, which can be extremely irritating for dry eye patients. They also act as sponges, soaking up the moisture on the surface of the eye. For dry eye patients, these factors make wearing standard contact lenses virtually unbearable. Scleral lenses, on the other hand, sit on the sclera (the white of the eye) and vault over the cornea. The lenses don’t touch the corneal
surface at all, thereby minimizing irritation.

2. Their design ensures constant hydration of the eye: The space between the surface of the cornea and the scleral lens is filled with a saline solution. This solution acts as a constant source of hydration for the eye, providing unbeatable relief for dry eye patients. Artificial tears as well as antibiotic can be added into the bowl of the lens prior to insertion to assist in lubricating and promote healing of the ocular surface.

3. They protect the cornea: Dry eye syndrome leaves the eyes more sensitive and the corneas more vulnerable to injury. Even something as simple as the blinking of the eyelids can irritate the eye or even injure the cornea due to the mechanical friction of the eyelids on the cornea. Scleral lenses can act as a shield between a patient’s eyes and their eyelids/the outside environment. This shield protects the eyes from further irritation or damage.

4. They allow the eye to regain a healthier appearance: Patients with dry eye syndrome often end up with eyes that look extremely red, bloodshot, and unhealthy. Part of the problem is the condition itself, while the other issue is that the eyes are continually being irritated or injured further by blinking and/or insufficient hydration. By giving the eyes a shield from the outside world and a constant hydration source, scleral lenses play a therapeutic role in helping the eye heal or stay healthy. In turn, the eyes retain a healthier appearance.

5. Patients can continue using eye drops and artificial tears during lens wear: Patients can continue using preservative-free eyedrops or artificial tears to lubricate the eye during lens wear. There is no “either-or” proposition between scleral lenses or eyedrops. With that said, many patients may find that they can decrease the frequency of artificial tear use once they start wearing scleral lenses, or that they only need eye drops at night after they have removed their lenses for the day.

6. Scleral lenses can drastically improve quality of life: Patients with dry eyes struggle with pain, discomfort, eye exhaustion, confidence issues due to severe eye redness, and more. Scleral lenses do three things at once for these patients: they provide vision correction, they protect the eye, and they serve a therapeutic purpose by lubricating the eye. These factors can improve the quality of life of people with dry eye disease. They decrease pain and/or discomfort, eye redness, the need to repeatedly scratch the eyes or apply eye drops, and simultaneously provide
crisp, clear vision during wear.

Neurolenses

Do you experience...

• - Headaches? 

•  -Migraines?

• - Neck pain or stiffness?

• - Discomfort at your computer? 

• - Dry eyes?

• - Motion sickness?

I f you said "yes" to any of these symptoms, you're not alone -- in fact, The Vision Council says that 65% of Americans suffer from symptoms just like these. In order to better care for our patients, Austin Optometry Group is adding an exciting, new technology that has been proven to alleviate these types of symptoms.

Neurolens is a company that is currently working with a small, select group of optometrists throughout the country and on February 22nd, 2017 we became the 12th clinic in the United States to implement eyeBrain's SightSync and neuroLens technology to our clinic so that we can better help patients like you!

Please click the link below to learn more about hoe Neurolenses may help with your dry eye symptoms:

https://www.reviewofoptometry.com/article/the-dry-eye-misalignment

Cequa, Xiidra and Restasis

Xiidra, or Lifitegrast, is a new product aimed at treating Dry Eye Syndrome (DES). This eye drop is claimed to have beneficial properties in terms of reducing inflammation on the ocular surface, and those related to diseases affecting the eye. The only prescription drug that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of DES has been Restasis, which, although beneficial, has a number of significant negative side effects.

Xiidra, the ophthalmic solution containing Lifitegrast, has been FDA approved for the treatment of both symptoms of DES, and signs of DES. This approval was released on Monday, July 11, 2016. It is the first of its kind in the lymphocyte function-associated antigen (LFA-1) antagonist drugs, and the first that has received FDA approval.

Punctal Plugs

Punctal plugs are tiny, biocompatible devices that can be inserted into tear ducts to block drainage. This increases the eye's tear film and surface moisture to help relieve certain forms of dry eye. Also known as punctum plugs, lacrimal plugs or occluders, these devices often are no larger than a grain of rice.

Punctal plugs usually are considered when non-prescription or prescription eye drops fail to relieve your dry eye condition.

Two general types of tear duct plugs are:

• Semi-permanent, typically made of long-lasting materials such as silicone.

• Dissolvable, made of materials such as collagen that the body eventually absorbs.

Temporary or dissolvable punctal plugs usually last from a few days to as long as several months. These types of plugs would be used in circumstances such as preventing dry eyes after LASIK, if you choose to have refractive surgery.

Dissolvable, temporary punctal plugs sometimes are used to determine if the treatment works for your dry eye condition. If so, then semi-permanent punctal plugs might be considered