Chronic eye irritation is a significant problem for many patients

Ocular irritation is one of the most frequent complaints seen at an ophthalmologists office.  As we approach the fall season many of these will be due to allergy.  However, many of these complaints are due to dry eyes.  Some of the common factors associated with dry eyes are arrid climates, contact lens use, aging, menopause, and ocular lid inflammation known as blepharitis.  Allergies are often associated with red itchy eyes and may have other systemic side effects such as runny nose and sinus problems.  They are often seasonal but can be chronic such as those who are allergic to pet dander or dust mite found in carpeting.  While allergy pills can help with this, they can also lead to drying of the eyes.  For this reason if the allergy is purely ocular allergy drops are a better choice.

Dry eye are also a significant problem when dealing with ocular irritation.  Chronic irritation from such things as contact lenses can lead to decreased aqueous formation and thus dry eye.  As mentioned previously aging, arid climates, etc. can also be a factor.  Many people use artificial tears to treat this problem, but while they definetly give relief they don't get to the root of the problem.  Early treatment with antiinlammatory medications such as restasis may be a better choice.  For those people with inflammatory lid disease the oily layer that decrease tear evaporation is often compromised.  This can be  diagnosed and treated  by a skilled eye care specialist.

At North Shore Eye Care our Board Certified Ophthalmologists with our friendly staff can treat all your eye care needs.  We have state of the art equipment in our modern facility, we accept most insurances and have greatly expanded hours from early morning to late in the evening six day a week.  We treat people from as far east as Riverhead, the Hamptons, Rocky Point, Calverton, Patchogue, the Moriches, Shirley, Mastic, Mastic Beach, Coram, Commack, Stony Brook, Mt. Sinai, Port Jefferson, Smithtown, Kings Park, North Port, Dix Hills, Plainview, Melville, Roslyn, Setauket, East Setauket, as well as many other areas in Nassau and Suffolk Counties including New York City.