What Is Dry Eye?
Dry eyes is an irritating eye condition, which can sometimes develop into a chronic condition called dry eye disease or dry eye syndrome (DES).
Your tears are more than a product of intense emotions. Tears are lubrication and protection for the surface of your eye. When your body doesn’t produce enough tears or creates poor-quality tears, your eyes don’t receive the hydration they need to work correctly.
Dry eyes can interfere with your day, make wearing contacts difficult, or increase your risk of inflammation and infection. Our team can help.
If you think you have dry eye, request an appointment today.
Dry Eye Symptoms
Common symptoms of dry eyes include:
- Feeling something in your eye
- Irritated eyes
- Red eyes
- Eye fatigue
- Heavy eyelids
- Excess tears
- Blurry vision
- Stringy discharge
- Difficulty focusing
- Burning or stinging sensation
Causes of Dry Eye
Your tears are made up of 3 layers:
- An inner mucus layer
- A middle watery layer
- An outer oily layer
Dry eye syndrome can be caused by various different factors, but a common one is meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). When your meibomian glands in your eyelids aren’t producing enough or good-quality oil, your tear film becomes unstable, which can lead to dry eye.
Factors that Contribute to Dry Eye
Other factors that can contribute to dry eye syndrome include:
- Age
- Contact lens use
- Hormonal changes
- Autoimmune diseases like Sjögren’s syndrome, lupus, or diabetes
- Medications like antihistamines or antidepressants
- Conditions like blepharitis or inflammation of the eyelids
What Makes Dry Eye Worse?
Certain lifestyle factors can make dry eye worse, including:
- Prolonged screen use: Reduced blinking during screen time can exacerbate dryness. Limit screen time where possible and take breaks when using devices.
- Poor diet: A lack of vitamin A and omega-3s can increase your risk of dry eye. Try increasing your intake of carrots, broccoli, fish, and walnuts.
- Environment: Smoke, wind, and air conditioning can intensify symptoms. Use a humidifier when indoors and wear sunglasses when outdoors.
Other small lifestyle changes, like drinking 8–10 glasses of water a day and getting 7–8 hours of sleep a night, can make a positive impact on your dry eye symptoms.
Dry Eye Solutions for Alberta’s Climate
As one of the founding members of the Dry Eye Institute of Canada, we are constantly searching for effective dry eye treatments in Alberta’s dry climate.
Our Optometrists work to uncover the root cause of your dry eye symptoms using innovative technologies and the latest medical research. Understanding whether you have aqueous deficient or evaporative dry eye is key to effective treatment. Once diagnosed, we can develop a personalized treatment plan tailored to your specific ocular health needs.
Aqueous deficient dry eye occurs when the lacrimal glands, located in the upper outer corner of your eyes, don’t produce enough tears. When this happens, your eyes can feel like they’re dry, burning, and irritated.
Autoimmune conditions like Sjögren’s syndrome can be linked to aqueous deficient dry eye.
Much like the name suggests, evaporative dry eye occurs when your tears evaporate too quickly. This can be caused by MGD. When not enough or poor-quality oil is produced by the meibomian glands, your eyes can become red, dry, and irritated.
Our Diagnostic Process
At Dr. Bishop & Associates, we take a comprehensive approach to assessing your ocular health. Through detailed questions and thorough evaluations, we gain a better understanding of your eye health, allowing us to offer personalized care.
When it comes to diagnosing dry eyes, we use a variety of methods, including:
- Your medical and medication history
- Meibography
- Blink analysis
- Lipid layer thickness analysis
- Fluorescein and Lissamine green staining
- Schirmer’s test (strip meniscometry testing)
- Tear break-up time
- Slit lamp examination
Our Dry Eye Technology
Dry eye disease can have various underlying causes, making targeted care essential. Our practice combines experience with technology to diagnose and treat dry eyes effectively.
While many options are available for treating and managing dry eyes, here are a few of our technology highlights you may meet on your journey to relieve your dry eyes.
Meibography is a type of imagery that evaluates the health of your meibomian glands and the quality of your tears.
During the test, we’ll have you look directly into a light camera, blinking normally. These tools then analyze your blinking patterns, measure the content and quality of your tears, and evaluate the health of your meibomian glands.
When was the last time you scrubbed your eyelids? When skin and bacteria build up on the eyelids, it can lead to blepharitis. Along with irritation and redness, blepharitis can cause dry eyes.
BlephEx is a small, handheld machine we use for in-office eyelid hygiene treatments. The gentle but thorough cleaning can help reduce symptoms by removing excess bacteria, biofilm, and bacterial toxins.
BlephEx uses a small rotating sponge to remove debris from the lash line and gently exfoliate the eyelid. The treatment is easy and quick, taking only a few minutes.
Forma-I is a new non-surgical procedure harnessing bi-polar radiofrequency technology that targets wrinkles around your eyes while simultaneously addressing dry eye symptoms.
Discover how Forma-I can benefit your eye care routine. Download our information brochure now to learn more.
Lumecca IPL is a versatile approach for addressing aesthetic concerns and dry eye symptoms.
Lumecca uses photothermolysis to provide a comfortable photofacial and address age spots, rosacea, and freckles. It can also loosen blockages in your meibomian glands to help improve dry eye.
Download our helpful brochure to learn more.
More Dry Eye Treatment Options
Treatment will vary depending on your eye health and comfort level. If you have questions about treatment options for your dry eyes, book an appointment.
Available treatment options for dry eyes include:
- Lumecca-I
- Artificial tears or ointments
- Medicated eye drops
- Oral medication
- BlephEx
- LipiFlow
- Eye masks
- Manual expressions
- Lid hygiene techniques
- Punctal plugs
- Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy
- Dry eye nutraceuticals (nutritional supplements)
- Forma-I
Get Relief from Dry Eyes
Your eyes deserve comfort and care. If you’re dealing with dry eye symptoms or have concerns about your eye health, we’re here to help.
Contact us to schedule an appointment, and together, we’ll explore dry eye solutions tailored to your unique needs.
Why Trust Us? We’re Advocates for Eye Health & Vision Needs
Dr. Bishop & Associates is committed to providing care that can make a positive difference in your life.
Dry Eye Clinic
Dealing with scratchy, red, tired eyes can be frustrating—but we’re here to help. At our dry eye clinic, we take a comprehensive approach to diagnosing and managing dry eye, focusing on your unique symptoms and lifestyle. We aim to address the root cause to achieve long-lasting relief, including innovative treatments with noninvasive IPL and radiofrequency technology.
BEAUTIFY @ Dr. Bishop’s
We want you to feel confident in your skin. Our aesthetic services are designed to help renew and replenish your skin with minimally invasive treatments and no downtime. With AlumierMD skincare and IPL, radiofrequency, and laser rejuvenation technology, we’ll work with you to create a personalized plan to address your skin concerns and reveal your natural beauty.
Myopia Management
Nearsightedness (myopia) is on the rise, and it can have long-lasting impacts on your child, from their success in the classroom to their eye health later in life. Myopia management is a personalized, proactive approach to slowing myopia progression to help support your child’s sight today and protect their long-term eye health. Your child’s vision is our top priority.
Where to find us
Willow Park Village
Our Address
- 575 – 10816 Macleod Trail SE
- Calgary, AB T2J 5N8
Contact Information
- Phone: (403) 974-3937
- Fax: 403-509-4859
Our Hours
Legacy Township
Our Address
- 230 – 200 Hartell Way SE
- Calgary, AB T2X 4S9
Contact Information
- Phone: (403) 974-3937
- Fax: 587-392-7365
Our Hours
Beacon Hill
Our Address
- 615 – 11877 Sarcee Trail NW
- Calgary, AB T3R 1W5
Contact Information
- Phone: (403) 974-3937
- Fax: 403-509-4854
Our Hours
Northgate Village
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- 103 – 495 36 St NE
- Calgary, AB T2A 6K3
Contact Information
- Phone: (403) 974-3937
- Fax: 403-509-4866
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Explore styles available at all our Calgary eye clinic locations.
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Willow Park Village
- 575 – 10816 Macleod Trail SE
- Calgary, AB T2J 5N8
- Phone: (403) 974-3937
- Fax: 403-509-4859
Legacy Township
- 230 – 200 Hartell Way SE
- Calgary, AB T2X 4S9
- Phone: (403) 974-3937
- Fax: 587-392-7365
Shoppes @ Beacon Hill
- 615 – 11877 Sarcee Trail NW
- Calgary, AB T3R 1W5
- Phone: (403) 974-3937
- Fax: 403-509-4854