Dry Eye Services
Dr. Slusky, Dr. Katz and Dr. Patel can relieve your discomfort, help you manage (and even eliminate) the potentially vision-disabling symptoms, and prevent further complications!
Most common symptoms of Dry Eye include:
Blurry vision | Redness | Stinging / Burning | Itching | Excessive tearing / watery eyes | Sensitivity to light | Gritty / sandy / scratchy feeling | Foreign body sensation (feeling like something is always in eye) | Eye pain or discomfort | Tired eyes / eye fatigue | Stringy mucus in or around the eyes | Eyes tough to open in the morning | Contact lenses discomfort | It’s tough to remove contact lenses at the end of the day | Excessive eye irritation in windy, smoky, or low humidity conditions
You might be one of the 33 million Americans who suffers from
DRY EYE SYNDROME
Tears are necessary for maintaining the health of the front surface of the eye and for providing clear vision. They are critical for lubrication, cleansing, and protection. Healthy eyes are continually bathed by tears produced by a combination of three glands located above the eyes and within the eyelids. Sometimes a person has a decrease in tear production, or the tears produced are of poor quality.
Artificial Tears are NOT your only solution!
Or call/text us at (773)549-1111
Dry eye clinic
What is involved in my assessment & treatment?
Dry Eye Disease can dramatically impact the quality and comfort of your life. Although over the counter treatments are available, they are often NOT effective and can even make the problem WORSE! Halsted Eye Boutique is a Dry Eye Center of Excellence. Dr. Slusky and Dr. Katz use leading-edge diagnostic technology to evaluate each layer of your tears, pinpoint your particular tear deficiency issues, determine which type of dry eye is present, and create a comprehensive treatment plan.
Dr. Slusky is committed to the care and non-surgical treatment of many conditions affecting the ocular surface. She has been specializing in Dry Eye Disease management for nearly 10 years. She examines and treats patients with dry eye associated with various conditions including Sjogrens Syndrome, Hashimoto’s, Keratoconus, menopause, diabetes, as well as a number of other autoimmune conditions. She also evaluates patients with blepharitis, styes, and allergic conjunctivitis. Dr. Slusky is accepting new patients for evaluation and management of dry eye and other ocular surface diseases.
The Ocular Surface Analysis includes:
Patient preparation for the day of the Ocular Surface Analysis:
No drops, oil based facial creams, makeup or sunscreens should be used on the day of the evaluation.
Do not use any ointment in the eyes for at least 24 hours prior to the appointment.
Do not swim for one day prior to the visit.
All aforementioned can affect the findings of the testing and render it useless.
The tests will take approx. 30 min, and will not require a driver. Your vision will not be affected and you will see normally after the test. Feel free to speak with the dry eye counselor if you have any questions.
Evaluation of:
Tear quality (volume, adherence, and composition)
Ocular surface inflammation
Meibomian gland function (upper and lower eyelid glands that produce the oil layer of tear film)
Review of your systemic medical conditions and medications:
This is very important! Please make sure you bring a complete list of your medications with you as many have eye side effects
Analysis of your Dry Eye Lifestyle Questionnaire:
This brief assessment allows us to understand how your eyes feel on a daily basis.
Feel free to print out our online copy, complete the questionnaire, and bring it to your Ocular Surface Analysis.
Review of your skincare and cosmetics:
This is also very important! Please make sure you email us (drjoannaslusky@gmail.com) an ingredient list of all products that you use on your face as they may contain eye-offending chemicals that exacerbate dry eye. This may include:
Face wash / cleanser / exfoliater / mask / toner / mist
Eye cream
Face cream / lotion / oil / serum
Anti-aging products
Lash growth serums
Makeup remover / wipes
Makeup (mascara, eyeliner, eyeshadow, primer, concealer, foundation)
Shaving cream / after shave
SPF
Prescription grade creams / lotions
Lipiscan
An assessment of your meibomian gland structure will be performed using Lipiscan imaging:
The most common form of Dry Eye is Evaporative Dry Eye, which affects 9 out of 10 Dry Eye cases. This results from a shortage of oil in your tears caused by a blockage in your eyelid (Meibomian) glands, leading tears to evaporate faster than normal. This lack of tear oil is often referred to as Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).
LipiScan complements our ability to diagnose and treat patients with suspected Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.
LipiScan provides detailed HD images of the meibomian glands and allows us to directly view if their structure is healthy (long, lean, and straight) or if the glands are showing degenerative changes (blockages, shape changes, thickening, shortening or simply dying). Below, you can see an example image of such structural progressive changes that result in an increased severity of dry eye over time.
Severe Stage of MGD
LipiScan imaging can be easily repeated over time to monitor the glands for changes making it easier to see the progression of the disease
In addition to the LipiScan, we evaluate the QUALITY and QUANTITY of your tears, the FUNCTION of your Meibomian glands, as well as assess the HEALTH of the front surface of your eyes. We specifically check the FUNCTION of your Meibomian glands to see if they are producing a clear "olive-oil-like" liquid, or if the liquid is cloudy, thicker, solid, or if there's no oil secretion at all.
If the oil is too thick, it's difficult for the eyelids to spread it evenly over the surface of the eye.
If it gets so thick that the oil blocks and backs up in the gland, the gland slowly but permanently gets damaged and starts to die off.
Our body is not able to repair or regenerate the structure and the gland becomes permanently nonfunctional. The result is irreversible and often severe dry eye.
Other tests might include:
Non-invasive tear layer analysis using the Topcon Topographer
Blink Quality Assessment using the Meibomian Gland Evaluator (MGE)
Ocular surface examination utilizing vital dyes to determine true integrity
MMP-9 inflammatory protein detection in tear fluid using the RPS InflammaDry test
Tear drainage system assessment
Visual acuity measurement
Contrast sensitivity measurement
Blood tests may be ordered to uncover an underlying rheumatological disorder
Dry EYE Treatment
Using the information gathered in the Dry Eye Assessment, we will create a treatment plan that will help you achieve longer-lasting relief. Your treatment regimen may include the following:
Dietary suggestions
Preservative Free Artificial Tears (PFAT)
Overnight ointments
Prescription drops - Restasis, Xiidra, Cequa, steroids, antibiotics
Eyelid hygiene
Eyelid heat therapy
Punctal plug occlusion
Dry Eye supplements
Antibiotics - oral/drops
Lifestyle change
BlephEx - In office treatment to remove plaque that could be blocking the openings of your meibomian glands, thereby preventing them from functioning properly.
TearCare - In office, “spa-like” meibomian gland therapy to treat lipid deficiency
IPL - Intense Pulse Light therapy - In office treatment to treat meibomian gland dysfunction, inflammation, Demodex, Rosacea & Acne
RF - Radio Frequency - In office treatment to treat meibomian gland dysfunction, inflammation, and wrinkles.
IPL Treatment for Dry Eye
IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light, and is a light-based technology commonly used in dermatology for hair removal, treat acne, reduce redness, and improve the look of the skin, as well as treat rosacea and reduce telangiectasia (irregular blood vessels on the skin). Research has proven that IPL is also effective for reducing dry eye symptoms. IPL is now being used in eye care to treat meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), styes, blepharitis, demodex mites, and dry eye disease. Removes telangiectsia (commonly seen in patients with rosacea) along eyelid margins (small blood vessels that appear as a result of chronic inflammation secondary to dry eye).
IPL Technology -
With IPL technology, light pulses penetrate the tissue and create heat, targeting the abnormal vessels that are the root cause of the inflammation. The body’s natural reaction to the treatment removes the abnormal vessels and heals the inflammation threatening the skin and eyelid. IPL technology treats your skin and eyelid inflammation while improving overall skin appearance, with maximal safety, comfort, and full customization to your skin type and condition.
Preparation before the Procedure
Direct sunlight exposure and sunless tanning should be avoided a few days before any IPL session. The skin should be clean and free from cosmetics and moisturizers. Eye shields will be used during the procedure to protect your eyes from the bright light administered during treatment.
During the Procedure
You may experience a warm, tingling sensation as the light is applied to your skin. Ultrasound jelly is applied to the cheek region under the eye to help soothe the skin. Each session lasts approximately 15 minutes. Depending upon the severity of your condition, other additional in office treatments to remove the buildup of your meibomian glands may be recommended.
Optima™ IPL Treatment
To ensure utmost comfort, your physician will apply coupling gel on the treatment area. For your eyes safety, you will be wearing IPL protective goggles/pads during the whole treatment session. Each session lasts approximately 15 minutes. During the treatment, you might experience a warm sensation as light is applied to the skin, but the treatment is gentle and should not feel uncomfortable. Following the IPL treatment, your physician may perform meibomian gland expression, which is an optional procedure to accelerate your skin and eyelid healing process.
After the Procedure
You may experience some redness and mild irritation to the treated areas – this will usually disappear within 1-2 days. Most patients are able to resume their daily activities the same day and apply light makeup after the use of a moisturizer following the procedure. Direct sunlight exposure should be avoided for a few days following the treatment and sunscreen with >SPF-30 should be used on the treated area.
It may take at least 2-3 treatments before you feel improvement. In some severe cases, more treatments will be needed. You will notice an improvement in the appearance of the treated skin area. The number of treatments recommended, and the results will depend on the patient.
However, for optimal results, 4-5 sessions are typically recommended, with 3-4 weeks in between. No follow-ups are needed between sessions. Maintenance treatments, usually once every 6-12 months, are also recommended for optimal long-term results depending on the severity of the condition and, oftentimes, will be combined with other dry eye therapies. IPL treatment is not covered by medical insurance. If you suffer from the symptoms of dry eye and would like to see if you are a candidate for IPL, please call our office to schedule a consultation.