Dry Eye Disease: Advanced Diagnosis and Treatment

Dry eye disease is one of the most common eye conditions we see in Wichita Falls and throughout the Texoma region. While occasional irritation is normal, persistent dry eye symptoms can affect reading, driving, computer use, contact lens wear, and overall quality of life. At North Texas Ophthalmology Associates, we focus on identifying the underlying cause of dry eye and developing a treatment plan tailored to each patient.

What Is Dry Eye Disease?

Dry eye disease occurs when your eyes do not produce enough tears or when tears evaporate too quickly. Healthy tears are essential for maintaining a smooth, comfortable, and healthy ocular surface. When tear production or tear quality becomes disrupted, symptoms can develop that affect both comfort and vision.

Common Symptoms of Dry Eye Disease

• Burning or stinging

• Gritty or sandy sensation

• Excessive tearing or watering eyes

• Redness

• Fluctuating or blurry vision

• Light sensitivity

• Eye fatigue

• Difficulty wearing contact lenses

Why Are My Eyes Watering If I Have Dry Eye?

One of the most common things we hear from patients is, “My eyes aren't dry—they're always watering.” In reality, excessive tearing is often a symptom of dry eye disease. When the surface of the eye becomes irritated, the eye may respond by producing an overflow of reflex tears.

These tears do not provide the same quality lubrication needed to keep the eye healthy and comfortable, which is why patients may experience watery eyes while also dealing with burning, stinging, redness, and irritation.

Why Dry Eye Is Common in Wichita Falls and Texoma

Living in North Texas presents unique challenges for patients with dry eye disease. Strong winds, blowing dust, seasonal allergies, low humidity, prolonged dry periods, and rapidly changing weather conditions can all contribute to tear evaporation and eye irritation.

Many patients notice symptoms worsen:

• During windy days

• During allergy season

• After long hours of screen use

• During extended driving

• At the end of a long workday

What Causes Dry Eye?

Not all dry eye is the same. Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye occurs when the eyes do not produce enough tears. Evaporative Dry Eye occurs when tears evaporate too quickly, often due to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), one of the leading causes of dry eye disease. Identifying the underlying cause is one of the most important steps in creating an effective treatment plan.

How Is Dry Eye Diagnosed?

A comprehensive eye examination can help determine the cause and severity of dry eye symptoms. Your evaluation may include tear quality assessment, tear production testing, meibomian gland evaluation, eyelid health assessment, ocular surface examination, and a review of symptoms and contributing factors.

Treatment Options

Treatment recommendations are individualized based on the underlying cause and severity of symptoms. Depending on your needs, treatment may include artificial tears, prescription therapies, punctal plugs, advanced in-office treatments, or customized serum tears.

Punctal Plugs

Punctal plugs are small devices placed within the tear drainage ducts to help tears remain on the surface of the eye longer. By slowing tear drainage, punctal plugs can improve moisture retention and reduce dry eye symptoms.

TearCare® Treatment

TearCare is an in-office treatment designed to address meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), one of the leading causes of dry eye disease. The system applies controlled heat to the eyelids while allowing patients to blink naturally, helping restore healthy oil flow into the tear film. Patients whose symptoms persist despite traditional therapies may benefit from a TearCare evaluation.

Autologous Serum Tears

For patients with moderate to severe dry eye disease, autologous serum tears may be recommended. These customized eye drops are created from a patient's own blood serum and contain naturally occurring growth factors, proteins, vitamins, and nutrients found in natural tears. Unlike traditional artificial tears, serum tears may help support healing of the ocular surface and are often considered for patients who have not achieved adequate relief with conventional treatments

Benefits of treatment may include:

• Improved comfort

• Better visual quality

• Improved contact lens tolerance

• Healthier ocular surface

• Improved accuracy of preoperative measurements

• Better outcomes following cataract and corneal procedures, including refractive surgery

Why Treat Dry Eye?

Dry eye disease affects more than comfort. Effective treatment may improve visual quality, reading comfort, contact lens tolerance, and ocular surface health. Managing dry eye can also play an important role in preparing patients for cataract surgery and corneal procedures, including refractive surgery. A healthier ocular surface can help improve the accuracy of preoperative measurements and support better surgical outcomes.