Dry eye symptoms affect millions of people who reach for lubricating artificial tears multiple times each day, only to find temporary relief that fades within hours. If basic eye drops no longer manage your burning, scratching, or watery eyes, you may benefit from treatments that address the underlying causes rather than just masking symptoms.
At Focused Eye Care, we provide advanced dry eye procedures at both our Nashua and Milford locations. Our doctors use diagnostic technologies like InflammaDry®, and TearLab Osmolarity Testing to identify the specific type of dry eye you have, then create treatment plans that target the root problem affecting your ocular surface.
Understanding Why Eye Drops Stop Working
Lubricating artificial tears provide moisture to your eyes, but they don’t fix the glands, inflammation, or other issues causing your dry eye symptoms. Most chronic dry eye stems from Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), where the oil-producing glands along your eyelid edges become blocked. Without this oil layer, tears evaporate too quickly, leaving your eyes feeling dry even when you’re producing adequate tears.
Standard eye drops add temporary moisture but wash away within minutes. You might find yourself applying drops four, six, or even ten times per day, yet your symptoms return almost immediately. This cycle indicates that your dry eye needs treatment targeting the blocked glands or inflammation rather than just adding more moisture to the surface.
Some people develop dry eye from reduced tear production rather than rapid evaporation. Others experience a combination of both issues. Identifying which problem affects you requires specialized testing that measures tear volume, osmolarity, and gland function.
Intense Pulsed Light Therapy for Dry Eyes
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy uses controlled light pulses to reduce inflammation around your eyelids and improve the function of meibomian glands. Originally developed for dermatological conditions, IPL has become one of the most effective treatments for MGD-related dry eye.
During IPL treatment, we apply protective shields over your eyes, then deliver precise light pulses to the skin around your eyelids. The light energy reduces blood vessels that contribute to inflammation, allowing your meibomian glands to resume normal oil production. Most patients receive four to four treatments spaced two to four weeks apart, with results building over time.
IPL works particularly well for patients whose dry eye worsens with screen use, seasonal allergies, or autoimmune conditions. The treatment takes about 15 minutes per session, causes minimal discomfort, and requires no recovery time. You can return to work or normal activities immediately after each appointment.
We offer IPL therapy at both our Nashua and Milford offices, making this advanced treatment accessible to patients throughout New Hampshire.
LipiFlow Treatment
LipiFlow® combines controlled heat with gentle massage to unclog blocked meibomian glands. This FDA-approved procedure directly addresses the oil gland dysfunction that causes most chronic dry eye cases.
The treatment uses a device that fits over your eye, applying precise heat to your inner eyelid while simultaneously massaging the outer lid. This combination melts the hardened oils blocking your glands and expresses them out, essentially resetting your glands to function normally again. The entire process takes about 12 minutes per eye.
LipiFlow provides longer-lasting relief than daily eye drops because it restores your natural tear film rather than artificially supplementing it. Many patients experience improvement within days, with results continuing to develop over several weeks as glands resume healthy oil production.
Our Nashua location offers LipiFlow treatment for patients who haven’t found adequate relief with other dry eye therapies. This option works well for people with moderate to severe MGD who want to reduce their dependence on artificial tears.
Prescription Medications for Dry Eye
Several prescription options address the inflammation and tear production issues underlying chronic dry eye symptoms:
- Anti-inflammatory eye drops: These medications reduce the inflammation that damages tear-producing glands and disrupts the tear film. Treatment typically continues for several months to allow glands to heal.
- Tear production stimulators: Some prescriptions increase your natural tear production rather than just adding moisture. These work best for patients with inadequate tear volume rather than rapid evaporation.
- Steroid eye drops: Short-term steroid use can quickly reduce severe inflammation, providing relief while other treatments take effect. We use these carefully due to potential side effects with extended use.
- Ointments for nighttime use: Thicker formulations protect your eyes during sleep when your natural blink rate drops to zero. Morning application works for people whose symptoms worsen throughout the day.
Prescription treatments require monitoring to ensure they’re working effectively without causing side effects. We schedule follow-up visits to assess your response and adjust your treatment plan as needed.
Punctal Plugs
Punctal plugs are tiny devices inserted into your tear ducts to slow drainage, keeping more natural tears on your eye surface. This simple procedure takes just minutes and provides immediate results for people whose eyes drain tears too quickly.
Your tears naturally drain through small openings in the inner corners of your upper and lower eyelids. When these drain tears faster than your eyes can produce them, punctal plugs block this drainage to maintain moisture. We typically start with temporary plugs that dissolve after a few weeks, allowing us to confirm this approach helps before placing permanent options.
Punctal plugs work well for people with low tear production but may not help if rapid evaporation causes your dry eye. We determine whether this treatment suits your specific condition through tear volume testing and careful evaluation of your symptoms.
How We Determine the Right Treatment
Choosing the best dry eye therapy starts with diagnostic testing. At Focused Eye Care, we use several technologies to evaluate your condition:
- TearLab Osmolarity Testing measures the salt concentration in your tears. Higher osmolarity indicates dry eye severity and helps us track improvement over time.
- InflammaDry® detects inflammatory markers in your tears, identifying whether inflammation contributes to your symptoms even when other signs aren’t obvious.
- Meibomian gland imaging shows which glands are blocked and how severely they’ve deteriorated. This information guides treatment selection and helps predict how well you’ll respond to gland-focused therapies.
- Tear break-up time evaluation reveals how quickly your tear film evaporates, indicating whether oil gland dysfunction or other factors cause your dry eye.
Based on these findings, we recommend treatments targeting your specific type of dry eye. Some patients benefit most from IPL, while others need LipiFlow, prescription medications, or a combination of approaches.
Undergo Advanced Dry Eye Treatment Today
Ready to move beyond temporary relief from eye drops? Schedule a comprehensive evaluation at our Nashua or Milford office.
Our doctors, who are all members of the American Optometric Association (AOA) and New Hampshire Optometric Association (NHOA), have years of experience diagnosing and treating complex dry eye cases. We’ll identify the cause of your symptoms and create a treatment plan that addresses the problem at its source, helping you achieve lasting comfort and clear vision.
