Effective Eye Care Strategies for Dry Eye from Ocular Rosacea

Your eyes feel constantly irritated—burning, stinging, red, and dry. It's more than just occasional discomfort; it's affecting your daily life.

If you also deal with facial redness or skin sensitivity, you might have ocular rosacea, which inflames the eyelids and disrupts tear production. Left untreated, it can worsen, making it harder to keep your eyes comfortable and clear.

At InVision Eye Care in Lakewood, NJ, our experienced ophthalmologists and optometrists understand the complex relationship between skin and eye health. Our state-of-the-art facility provides advanced treatments to relieve ocular rosacea and restore eye comfort for patients in and around Ocean County and Monmouth County in New Jersey.

How Ocular Rosacea Triggers Dry Eye

Ocular rosacea is an inflammatory condition primarily affecting eyelids, oil glands, and tear film. When the tiny meibomian glands above and below the eyelid margins become clogged or inflamed, they can't make the oils that prevent tears from evaporating too fast. That's why the eyes dry out, leading to discomfort, irritation, and redness.

Symptoms of ocular rosacea-related dry eye include:

• Persistent eye redness and burning
• Grittiness or the feeling of something in the eye
• Increased sensitivity to light
• Watery eyes (a response to excessive dryness)
• Crusty eyelids upon waking
• Blurred vision that improves with blinking

The symptoms tend to flare up along with skin rosacea but can also occur independently. Because it's a chronic condition, expert ongoing management is crucial to maintaining your comfort and eye health if you're diagnosed with ocular rosacea.

Best Strategies to Relieve Dry Eye from Ocular Rosacea

At InVision Eye Care, we recommend a multi-faceted approach to dry eye management. Our goals for our ocular rosacea patients are reducing inflammation, improving meibomian gland function, and promoting and maintaining a healthy, balanced tear film.

Conservative Approaches For Ocular Rosacea

Some simple habits that can soothe irritated eyes and help avoid flare-ups are:

• Warm compresses on the eyelids prompt clogged meibomian glands to release trapped oil. This, in turn, can improve tear film stability.
• Gentle eyelid cleaning with a mild, preservative-free cleanser can remove debris and reduce irritation.
• Omega-3 supplements: Recent studies show that omega-3 fatty acids improve healthy oil production in the tear film.
• Avoiding triggers: Understanding and avoiding your triggers is one of the most important aspects of managing rosacea, as avoiding them can help reduce flare-ups and minimize symptoms. Alcohol, sun exposure, hot beverages, extreme temperatures, and spicy foods are all common triggers. When your skin flares up, it's common to experience an ocular rosacea flare-up.

Advanced Medical Treatments for Lasting Relief

Your doctor at InVision Eye Care may prescribe the methods mentioned above, along with artificial tears, anti-inflammatory eye drops, or other medications, such as oral antibiotics like tetracycline.

In addition, we offer advanced in-office procedures, including LipiFlow, BlephEx, and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL.) These procedures take only minutes in our office and can help lay the groundwork for long-term ocular rosacea relief.

Dry Eye Relief in Lakewood, NJ

Rosacea is challenging enough already, so don't allow dry eyes from ocular rosacea to complicate your life any longer. At InVision Eye Care in Lakewood, NJ, our talented doctors offer advanced solutions to manage ocular rosacea and restore eye comfort. Call us at 732-210-0140 to schedule your appointment with any of our talented doctors today.