Do your eyes feel irritated or like something is in them? Are you experiencing redness, burning, excessive tearing, or occasional blurry vision? You may have dry eyes, a common condition where your eyes do not produce enough tears. Sometimes, the only symptom of dry eye is recurring blurred vision.  The New York City Dry Eye Institute is a unique facility specializing in state-of-the-art treatments and testing to help manage the symptoms of dry eye.

The New York City Dry Eye Institute is a one of a kind facility that specializes in the latest techniques in diagnosing and treating dry eye. These specialized services include TearLab & InflammaDry testing, Meibox Infrared imaging, Autologous Serum Drops, IPL laser treatments, Blephex™, Radiofrequency Treatments, Amniotic Membrane placement, and MiBo Thermoflo. We encourage anyone suffering with mild or severe symptoms of dry eye to come visit Dr. Mostatfavi and his team to experience first hand, how we can treat your condition and help you find permanent relief.

Because there are many possible causes of dry eye, we gather a patient health history to better understand your risk. For example, common medications such as diuretics or antihistamines increase dry eye risk. You are also more likely to have dry eye if you wear contact lenses, recently had LASIK eye surgery, or use two or more glaucoma eye drops. Quite often, thyroid dysfunction and the hormonal changes associated with menopause can cause dry eye.

In addition, your work environment can also affect your eye health – for example, people who use a computer all day long are more susceptible to dry eye. If we determine that you are at risk for dry eye, based on your symptoms and risk factors, we can perform state of the art tests to evaluate and understand the underlying reasons for your dry eye. We will work with you to identify the best treatment plan for your unique needs. Think you might have dry eye? Talk to us today about how we can help you find relief.

If you think you might have dry eye, Dr. Mostafavi will ask you a few questions and perform specialized tests in order to confirm the diagnosis and understand the cause of your dry eye. This helps us design a customized treatment plan. There are a variety of reasons you may be experiencing dry eye. Because tears help lubricate and protect the eye, dry eye is often caused by not producing enough tears – or not producing the right quality tears. To measure the quantity of tears your eye produces, Dr. Mostafavi will use a multitude of tests that can measure the volume of your tears. We also drops that highlight the dried spots on the eye where the surface of the eyes is being damaged by the dryness. Additionally, we also have the technology to take a sample of your tears to analyze its components to better understand the etiology of your dry eyes. Oil is another key component of healthy tears. Glands in your eyelids play a big role in producing oil for your tears, thus we use an infrared camera to examine each individual oil gland on the lids to assess the function and viability of these important glands. Talk to us today to assess your dry eyes and to finally put an end to the bothersome symptoms of this now treatable condition.

There are a variety of dry eye treatments available to provide relief from dry eye. Once we identify the underlying cause of your dry eye, a flexible treatment plan, customized to your needs, can be designed. If your dry eye is caused by your environment or behavior, you may be advised to make small changes. These can be as simple as reducing the speed of ceiling fans in your home – or remembering to blink more often when you use computers.

Dr. Mostafavi might recommend drinking more water or eating foods or supplements high in omega fatty acids or vitamin A. Your tear production may also be the cause of your dry eye. Eye drops including prescription medications, artificial tear drops, gels, or ointments are often used to increase eye moisture or tear production and may be used in combination with other treatments. Another option, called punctal plugs, retains tears in the eye by blocking the tear drainage canal. If you are experiencing dry eye as a result of another condition, we will also treat that cause. For example, if you wear contact lenses, you may need to try other types of lenses. If you have inflamed or clogged eyelid glands, we will offer methods to treat the glands ranging from at-home lid hygiene techniques, to in-office procedures. Let us work with you to find the best course of treatment for your dry eye!

TearLab

The TearLab Osmolarity System is intended to measure the serum osmolarity of human tears to aid in the diagnosis of dry eye disease in patients suspected of having dry eye disease, in conjunction with other methods of clinical evaluation.

InflammaDry

InflammaDry is the first and only, rapid result, in-office test that detects elevated levels of MMP-9, an inflammatory marker that is consistently elevated in the tears of patients with dry eye disease.

Serum Drops

Autologous (the donor and the recipient are the same person) Serum Drops are eye drops made from your own blood. After we draw your blood in our office, the red blood cells and clotting factors are removed by using special centrifuge, leaving behind pure blood serum rich in Platelet rich plasma. This is your body’s own tear substitute that is unique to you, and contains many important growth factors and nutrients essential to health of your eye, and absent in tears when eyes become dry.

IPL

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is a light-based technology commonly used in dermatology to treat rosacea and reduce telangiectasia. IPL is now being used in ophthalmology to treat meibomian gland dysfunction and dry-eye disease. During the procedure, a strategic level of light pulses is administered to penetrate the skin under the eye and targets the root cause of the inflammation. IPL procedures are effective, gentle and safe.

Blephex™

The First and Only Clinician Treatment for Blepharitis, BlephEx™ is a revolutionary new patented tool used to very precisely and carefully, spin a medical grade micro-sponge along the edge of your eyelids and lashes, removing scurf and debris and exfoliating your eyelids.

Radiofrequency Treatment

Radiofrequency (RF) laser can be used to safely and effectively treat dry eyes for a smoother, healthier-looking appearance. Meibomian Gland Disease (MBD) is the leading cause of dry eye and ocular discomfort, and it is now treatable with this radiofrequency treatment. The same technology has been used for many years to tighten skin of face, so as an added benefit, this treatment not only improves dry eyes but also leads to a more wrinkle free surface of eyelids.

Amniotic Membrane

Amniotic membranes are obtained from placenta of new borns.  They have the natural anti-inflammatory/anti-scarring properties and are used to provide quick symptom relief and reduce inflammation associated with ocular surface disease. Through their unique healing properties, they help restore your cornea and return your eye to a normal, healthy state.

MiBo Thermoflo

MiBoflo treatment is a relatively new and innovative treatment for anybody who suffers from any sort of dry eye disease. It uses thermoelectric waves to help treat your eyes. Essentially what this does is keeps a consistent temperature of 108 degrees on your eyelids to liquefy stagnant meibomian gland oils and enhance tear production in total.