Dry Eye

Relief Starts Here — With Care That Adapts to You

At Eye Center South, we take a comprehensive, personalized approach to diagnosing and treating dry eye — from early symptoms to more advanced, chronic conditions.

Dry eye is one of the most common eye conditions, affecting nearly 20% of the U.S. population. Many patients experience symptoms such as burning, irritation, blurred vision, or a gritty sensation — often without realizing effective treatment options are available.

Care That Begins with You — and Grows with Your Needs

Dry eye treatment often begins with a comprehensive eye exam, where our optometrists evaluate your symptoms, medical history, and tear quality.

For many patients, early treatment may include:

  • Artificial tears and lubrication therapy

  • Nutritional and vitamin support

  • Environmental and lifestyle adjustments


If more advanced care is needed, you may be referred to the Dry Eye Center of Excellence in Dothan or work closely with our team to provide specialized treatment options — all within the same system of care, at the location nearest you.

Advanced Dry Eye Treatment Options

For patients with moderate to severe dry eye, we offer advanced therapies, including:

  • Prescription medications and targeted therapies

  • Punctal plugs to conserve natural tears

  • Treatment for underlying conditions, such as meibomian gland dysfunction

  • A multi-phased custom combination of treatments that include BlephEx, Lipiflow, IPL, and Low-Level Light Therapy at the Dry Eye Center of Excellence in Dothan


This integrated approach ensures you receive the right level of care at the right time — without needing to navigate multiple providers.

Understanding the Cause

Dry eye can be influenced by a variety of factors, including:

  • Age and hormonal changes

  • Environmental conditions

  • Screen use and digital eye strain

  • Autoimmune conditions such as Sjögren’s syndrome


Our team uses specialized diagnostic testing to identify the root cause of your symptoms and guide treatment decisions.

A Personalized Approach to Long-Term Relief

No two patients experience dry eye the same way. That’s why we create customized treatment plans designed to provide lasting relief and improve your overall comfort and vision.

Our goal is simple:

To help you feel better, see clearly, and protect your long-term eye health.

Schedule an Eye Exam or Click to Call Dry Eye Center of Excellence

FAQs

What causes dry eyes?

Causes of dry eye syndrome include decreased tear production, poor tear film quality, or excessive tear evaporation. Age is also a factor because the tiny glands in our eyelids (meibomian glands) produce less oil as we get older. This problem is widespread in middle-aged women. The oil from these glands prevents the natural tears on our eyes from evaporating. The decreased oil production allows tears to evaporate too quickly, leaving the eye dry. Infection or clogging of the meibomian glands can also lead to dry eye. Other factors that can cause dry eye syndrome include smoking, diabetes, and menopause. Other factors that can influence dry eye syndrome are excessive reading, using a computer, or watching TV. We blink less when concentrating on such activities, and decreased blinking allows the eye to dry out faster. Contact lenses can also be a problem with dry eyes.

What are common symptoms of dry eyes?

    Common dry eye symptoms are wide-ranging and can include excessive watering, one of the most common patient complaints is the feeling of a tiny spec of sand in your eye, grittiness, dryness, burning, blurred vision, tired eyes, redness, and soreness. Your eyes may even produce a mucus discharge.

    What are treatment options for dry eye?

    Based on the severity, our doctors will prescribe a custom treatment plan for short and long-term relief. In many cases, this may include a regime of medicated ophthalmic drops, punctal plugs, vitamin therapy, or artificial tears. These therapies may not alleviate symptoms in more severe cases and may require additional treatment options. Dry eyes can be disabling for some patients and can even cause sight-threatening corneal complications.

    Prokera is a new treatment for chronic dry eye that heals the surface of your eye (cornea) and returns your eye to a normal, healthy state. It is a simple procedure and is easily inserted and removed in our office. Once removed, your cornea is rejuvenated so you can see and feel better.

    Artificial Tears – Artificial tears are eye drops used to lubricate dry eyes and help maintain moisture on the outer surface of your eyes. They are used to treat dry eyes that result from aging, certain medications, a medical condition, eye surgery, or environmental factors, such as smoky or windy conditions. They are available without a prescription. Artificial tears may also contain thickening agents, which keep the solution on the surface of your eyes longer.

    Vitamin Therapy – During the past decade, the ophthalmic industry has increased research into vitamins and other nutritional supplements used to treat dry eye. This data is based on the research and findings we have seen in our industry in recent years. We are pleased to see vitamin or nutritional supplement-based therapy for dry eye entering the mainstream treatment regimen within ophthalmology. In addition to our Vitamin Therapy regimens in the office, common vitamins aiding in dry eye include: flaxseed oil, evening primrose oil, fish oil, beta carotene, and vitamin A.

    Punctal Plugs – Another technique involves using Punctal Plugs, which our doctors can easily insert into the lower or upper punctum. There are numerous types of punctal plugs with varying uses and properties depending on the materials from which they are made. The most common are divided into two groups: temporary collagen plugs placed at the top of the puncta and a more permanent plug inserted into the canaliculus.

    Multi-Step Treatment at Dry Eye Center of Excellence in Dothan. Based on the severity of your test results, you could be prescribed one or a combination of the following treatment options: BlephEx, LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation, Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), and Low-Level Light Therapy (Red Light Therapy).