Question 1

What are the symptoms of dry eye disease?

Accepted Answer

Common dry eye symptoms include a gritty or sandy feeling in the eyes, burning or stinging, blurry vision that fluctuates, excessive watering, light sensitivity, and discomfort with contact lens wear or screen use.

Question 2

How is dry eye diagnosed?

Accepted Answer

An optometrist diagnoses dry eye through a comprehensive eye exam including tear film assessment, meibomian gland evaluation, corneal staining, and sometimes specialized tests like tear osmolarity or MMP-9 testing.

Question 3

What dry eye treatments are available in Canada?

Accepted Answer

Canadian optometrists offer treatments including artificial tears, prescription drops (Restasis, Xiidra), LipiFlow thermal pulsation, IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) therapy, meibomian gland expression, scleral lenses, and lifestyle counselling.

Free Dry Eye Screening Tool