DRY EYE TREATMENT
in BUFFALO, NY

What is Dry Eye Syndrome?

Dry eye syndrome is an extremely common eye disease that causes the eyes to feel dry, itchy, and uncomfortable.

Your tears are composed of a precise combination of water and oils, created in glands around the eye. Their complex structure allows them to keep the eye hydrated and protected against bacteria and damage from foreign objects.

Many things interfere with your eyes’ ability to create tears, which can keep them from doing their job. This is the source of dry eye, and the reason why it’s important to find and treat the causes of dry eye, not just the symptoms.

Here are some of the most common causes:

Environmental factors: If you’re frequently around smoke, dry air, or harsh winds, it can cause tears to evaporate too quickly.

Gland dysfunction: If the glands involved in tear production are clogged or otherwise not working right, tears can fall out of balance.

Other causes: Other explanations for chronic dry eyes include taking certain medications, side effects from surgery, and the normal aging process.

Leading Buffalo Dry Eye Doctor

Dry eye syndrome is often overlooked, and many people who suffer from simply learn to live with the discomfort. For some people, dry eye may go away on its own, but for others, it’s an ongoing issue that requires medical attention. If it’s left untreated, dry eye can cause worsening discomfort, chronic issues with visual clarity, and damage to the cornea.

Finding relief when you’re struggling with dry eye means evaluating the symptoms, identifying the underlying causes, and figuring out the best ways to address the issues at the heart of the condition.

The cause of a single case of dry eye is not always clear at first, but a specialist can assess your lifestyle and make sure you get the lasting relief you deserve.

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Dr. Asha Kumar, M.D.

Asha Kumar, M.D., is an experienced cornea specialist whose specialized training in dry eye treatment makes her a trusted resource for our patients. Dr. Kumar is board-certified, having trained under James Aquavella, M.D., the first fellowship-trained corneal specialist in the United States. She has been the premier choice for cornea treatment in Buffalo and Western New York for over 30 years.

For dry eye cases, Dr. Kumar is dedicated to getting to the root of the problem and taking a customized approach to solving the issue with the personal touch that she’s known for among her patients.

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Our Approach to Dry Eye Syndrome

Different treatments for dry eye work better depending on the cause and the severity of the case at hand. At Buffalo Ophthalmology, we’ll start by taking the time to learn about you, your lifestyle, and your eye health history with a comprehensive eye exam.

There is a variety of different reasons why you might come in to see Dr. Kumar for a dry eye assessment. We even get referrals for cases where conventional treatments like saline drops and eyelid wipes haven’t been effective, because we’re the recognized experts in dry eye treatment.

We tailor our approach to treatment based on your needs, following up often to make sure solutions are working as expected and things are improving.

Dry Eye Treatment in Buffalo, NY

Dry eye treatment depends on the underlying causes of your dry eye and how far it has progressed. Treatment is aimed at providing comfort for acute symptoms while using a variety of advanced solutions to address the underlying causes in order to eliminate the condition for good.

Medicated Eye Drops

For cases where saline eye drops haven’t had the desired effect, we often recommend specialty medicated eye drops. When applied regularly, sometimes in combination with other treatment options, prescription drops can help encourage healthy tear production and improve the quality of the tears.

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Amniotic Membranes

Treatment using amniotic membranes are a great choice for use in severe cases of dry eye that have caused external damage to the cornea. Regenerative cells in these membranes promote healing in the damaged cornea, forming an additional layer of tissue in this this sensitive part of the eye.

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Gland Activation

Some of the glands in your eyes are responsible for providing the oils that allow your tears to adhere to the eye’s surface. Blockage in these glands can cause an imbalance and in tear makeup, contributing to dry eye. There are techniques we can perform to help these glands resume optimal function.

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Serum Tears

Serum tears are a natural product derived directly from a patient’s blood. After being filtered, diluted, and treated, the solution mimics the makeup of tears produced by the eye. These are good options for patients who haven’t responded to other dry eye treatments or who have certain other conditions.

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