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Dry Eyes Specialist

Specialty Ophthalmologists serving Goodland, KS, and Broomfield, Edwards and Englewood, CO

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Dry Eyes

If your eyes are always itchy, watery, or crusty, you may have dry eyes, a condition that interferes with the quality and quantity of your tears. At Mile High Eye Institute, which has locations in Denver metro community including Castle Rock, Broomfield, Aurora, Littleton as well as our satellites in Goodland, KS and Edwards, CO, ophthalmologists William Richheimer, MD, Zachary Vest, MD, and the team diagnose dry eyes and offer customized treatments to restore your eye health. Call the nearest office, or schedule an eye exam online today to find out if your symptoms are due to dry eyes.


What are dry eyes?

Your eyes need tears to keep them clean, moisturized, and comfortable. However, if you don’t produce enough tears or have poor-quality tears, you may develop dry eyes. 

Your tears have three layers that all play a critical role in protecting your eyes: oil, water, and mucus. 

The watery middle layer of tears is the largest component of your tears. This part washes away debris and cleans your eye. The outside oily layer keeps your tears smooth and prevents them from drying up too quickly. The inside mucus layer helps your tears spread over your eyes and keeps them moist.

What are the signs of dry eyes?

If you have dry eyes, you may experience symptoms, including:

  • Itchy, burning, or stinging eyes
  • Blurred vision
  • Feeling like you have grit in your eye
  • Strings of mucus around your eyes
  • Waking up with crusty eyes
  • Red, bloodshot eyes
  • Pain while wearing contact lenses

While it might sound like the opposite, dry eyes can also cause excessive tearing as your tear glands try to make up for deficiencies in the quality of your tears.

How are dry eyes diagnosed?

If you have dry eye symptoms, talk to your Mile High Eye Institute provider during your annual eye exam. Your ophthalmologist checks your eyes for signs of dry eye as well as issues with your eyelids or the surface of your eyes. 

They may ask you to blink so they can monitor how you blink as well as how a blink spreads tears over your eyes. Your ophthalmologist can also test the quality of your tears and how quickly you can produce them. 

How are dry eyes treated?

Depending on the cause of your dry eye symptoms, the team at Mile High Eye Institute offers personalized treatments to relieve your symptoms and help your tear glands produce sufficient amounts of high-quality tears. 

For example, if you have mild symptoms, you may find relief from using over-the-counter artificial tears. However, if your dry eye symptoms are more severe, your ophthalmologist may prescribe eye drops that can increase your eyes’ ability to produce tears. 

Call the nearest Mile High Eye Institute location or make an appointment online today for expert diagnosis and treatment for dry eyes.