Dry Eye Management in North Toronto

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Welcome to Our Dry Eye Clinic

We take a medical approach to diagnosing, managing, and treating dry eyes. To get to the root of the problem, we thoroughly evaluate your symptoms, your history, and your eyes to find the cause of your dry eye. Once we’ve diagnosed your dry eye, we have several treatment options available to suit your eyes’ unique needs.

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What Happens During a Dry Eye Consultation?

A dry eye consultation is a comprehensive review and assessment of your eyes and how dry eye disease may be affecting them. Think of it like an focused on identifying and addressing dry eye symptoms and risk factors.

This process is essential for diagnosing the source of your discomfort. Based on the results of this consultation, we can craft a personalized treatment plan to help you get back to enjoying comfortable vision.

The dry eye exam process begins with an in-depth discussion about your symptoms and medical history.

We’ll ask about the frequency and severity of your symptoms, any prior eye conditions you may have experienced, medications you’re taking, and lifestyle factors that might contribute to dry eyes.

After your pre-examination, we proceed with a thorough eye exam using modern diagnostic tools and techniques like meibography and I-Pen tear osmolarity.

This helps us assess your tear quality, tear production level, blinking, eyelid health, and meibomian gland function, as well as the presence of ocular surface inflammation—all critical for diagnosing the root cause of dry eye syndrome.

Once we have identified the underlying cause of your dry eye symptoms, we can craft a personalized treatment plan to help address your unique needs. 

Your treatment plan could involve over-the-counter remedies, prescription medications, lifestyle changes, or in-office procedures, depending on the severity and type of your symptoms.

Diagnosing Dry Eye

Dry eye can have a variety of causes, which is why we first determine the root cause of your dry eyes before beginning treatment. We use a variety of diagnostic tools that quantitatively measure your dry eye. Along with an assessment of your history and symptoms, this allows us to offer you the right treatment.

We use the I-Pen to measure tear osmolarity. The I-Pen is a handheld device about the size of a thermometer. Using the I-Pen, we gently touch the device to your inner, lower eyelid and hold it there for between two to four seconds. During this time, the device takes one hundred and ninety-two different readings to measure osmolarity (the concentration of your tears).

The osmolarity, as well as the difference in osmolarity between your two eyes, is an important indicator of dry eye. The device also measures your lipid layer, the component of your tears that prevents them from evaporating too quickly.

Meibography is used to identify meibomian gland dysfunction, a disorder that affects 86% of people with dry eye. Meibomian gland dysfunction affects the meibomian glands, causing gland shortening and gland loss. Meibography is a technique we use to photograph the meibomian glands and detect meibomian gland dysfunction.

Our Dry Eye Treatment Options

We offer several treatment options that we can customize to your dry eye needs. In addition to take-home treatments such as eye drops, eye gels, and eye masks, we offer in-office treatments to help address the root causes of dry eye symptoms.

InflammaDry is a rapid, noninvasive, in-office test used to diagnose dry eye disease caused by inflammation. InflammaDry involves collecting a small sample of a patient’s tears using a specialized device.

The InflammaDry test works by detecting the presence of elevated levels of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), which is an inflammatory biomarker commonly found in patients with dry eye disease caused by inflammation.

IPL stands for intense pulsed light. The light pulses penetrate tissue and create heat, which can address inflammation associated with dry eyes. Pulses are distributed across the cheeks, nose, and lower eyelids and can be customized to your skin type and condition. The device is designed to minimize discomfort, with most patients experiencing only a mild snapping sensation. 

In many cases, dry eye symptoms begin to improve after 1 or 2 sessions and steadily improve with continued treatment.

Watch our video about the IPL process here.

LipiFlow is a treatment used to address meibomian gland dysfunction. During treatment, small pads, called activators, are placed on top of your eyelids. The pads apply vectored thermal pulsation to distribute moderate heat and pressure that can help remove meibomian gland blockages and restore gland function.

Watch our video to learn more about the LipiFlow treatment process here.

Dry eyes, blepharitis, and itchy eyelids can be constant sources of discomfort. We are pleased to offer ZEST (Zocular Eyelid System Treatment), an in-office treatment that can help restore comfort and clarity to your vision. 

ZEST is like a deep shampoo for your eyes and lashes. Dirt, debris, and Demodex mites can disrupt your tear film, leading to irritation. ZEST can address the clogged oil glands around your eyelashes. 

ZEST uses a gentle, okra-based gel to help remove debris and soothe inflammation, helping to clean without further irritating your eyes. Although results may vary, many patients see dry eye, blepharitis, and Demodex improvement after just one ZEST treatment.

Amniotic membrane grafts can be an effective treatment for severe dry eyes.

The process involves harvesting and sterilizing human amniotic cells which are then grafted onto damaged eye tissue. These cells can promote epithelial growth and reduce inflammation (a serious factor of severe dry eye). They also act as a physical barrier, helping protect the conjunctival and corneal epithelium and reducing friction (and pain) as the eyelid moves over the surface of the eye. 

Some research suggests that these cells may also have antimicrobial properties, which could reduce the chance of infection during the healing process.

To serve you best, we offer 2 brands for amniotic membrane grafts: Prokera and BioDOptix.

Autologous serum eye drops are eye drops manufactured using your own blood serum and plasma. This fluid contains epithelium-promoting growth factors and other essential components present in natural tears. They can be used to treat severe dry eyes by encouraging your eyes to produce more natural tears.

What to Expect During an IPL Treatment

Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy is a noninvasive treatment option we provide at North Toronto Medical Optometry & Vision Care to help manage symptoms of evaporative dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction.

This technology uses light pulses to delicately warm the meibomian glands in your eyelids and dissolve blockages that disrupt the flow of oils to your tear film.

Before starting IPL, we first need to determine if the treatment is right for you when you visit us for a dry eye consultation.

We’ll conduct a comprehensive eye exam to evaluate your dry eye symptoms and determine if IPL therapy is the ideal treatment choice for you.

We’ll walk you through what you can expect from IPL treatment, and we’ll be happy to answer any questions you might have.

Once we determine IPL is right for you, we’ll ask you to refrain from tanning for a few weeks before your appointment. We might also ask you to stop using certain skin care products to help prepare your skin for your appointment.

On the day of your appointment, please come in without wearing any makeup, lotions, or skin care products. They might affect the outcome of your treatment.

Before starting your treatment, we’ll rub a cooling gel over your skin to help manage the warming sensations the IPL device produces.

During your treatment, light pulses are applied to your eyelids to gently warm blockages and stimulate oil production, all under the careful supervision of our staff.

Following your session, you may notice some slight tenderness around the treated areas, but this should diminish within a few hours. In some instances, you may experience immediate relief from your dry eye symptoms, but we may recommend additional sessions depending on your needs.

We’ll provide you with an aftercare plan to help you reach and maintain positive, lasting results from your treatment.

Our Location

Where to Find Us

Find us on the 5th floor of the Hullmark Corporate Centre.

Parking & TTC

Underground parking is accessible via Anndale Drive. The subway can be accessed via the Sheppard-Yonge station.

Our Address

4789 Yonge Street, Suite 505
North York, ON M2N 0G3

Contact Information

Phone: 416-322-0379
Fax: 416-322-9964
[email protected]

Hours of Operation

Monday
8:30 AM4:30 PM
Tuesday
9 AM5 PM
Wednesday
8 AM4 PM
Thursday
10 AM6 PM
Friday
8 AM4 PM
Saturday
Closed
Sunday
Closed

Medically-Focused Optometry Services

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