The Dry Eye Center of Evansville

Our Approach

Our goal is to evaluate the patient as a whole – to understand the underlying causes of dry eye and blepharitis in that individual patient. We work with primary and specialist doctors to optimize systemic medications, order blood work if necessary, perform a thorough eye evaluation with advanced diagnostic testing, and develop a custom treatment plan that works with the patient’s insurance and budget. We sell hard-to-find dry eye and blepharitis products here in the office and can order less commonly used products for patient convenience.

Referrals are not necessary, but can help us with with your other doctors to maximize your treatment.

How Are Patients Evaluated?

Due to the complex nature of dry eye and blepharitis, our initial dry-eye evaluation consists of a full exam and assessment including:

Detailed health history with evaluation of medication side effects and underlying systemic causes with bloodwork if appropriate
Customized questionnaire to identify patient goals and budget
Ocular Surface Disease Index (OSDI) scoring at each visit
Comprehensive exam including tear quality testing, automated tear break-up time testing, topography, meibomiography, and Demodex screening
Customized treatment plan based on individual patient needs with insurance and budget requirements considered

In-Office Treatments

In order to jump-start success, we offer several in-office procedures:

Heat treatment with manual meibomian gland expression (similar to Lipiflow but less costly)
BlephEx® eyelid cleaning with concentrated tea tree oil. Learn more
Acute stye treatment with intense heat/massage; incision/curettage if needed
Intrapulse Light Therapy – with Lumenis OptiLight – the only FDA-approved procedure for MGD and dry eye disease. Learn more
Amniotic membrane treatment of severe corneal epithelial breakdown
Punctal plug placement (temporary and permanent)
In-office SLT for glaucoma patients to decrease drop burden

What is BlephEx®?

Results right away

By gently and effectively cleaning the area around the eyelashes, BlephEx® has been shown to reduce lid debris on the eyelid margin by more than 50%*²

_{*In symptomatic contact lens wearers (n=17) in a randomized, controlled study of daily contact lens wearers (N=30). References: 1. Alcon data on file. 2020. 2. Siddireddy JS et al. Effect of eyelid treatments on bacterial load and lipase activity in relation to contact lens discomfort. Eye Contact Lens. 2020;46:245-253.}

What is OptiLight by Lumenis?

OptiLight breaks the vicious cycle of inflammation

Alleviates the abnormal blood vessels that are perpetuating the inflammation
Decreases the level of pro inflammatory mediators and inhibits the progression of the inflammation
Reduces the osmolarity of the tear film to normal levels
Decreases Demodex mites that are stimulating infection and reduces bacterial load
Restores Meibomian gland’s morphology and functionality

_{Source: Viso et al. (2014) Eur Ophthalmol Rev 8(1):13-6.; Kassir et al. (2011) J Cosmet Laser Ther 13(5):216-22; Papageorgiou et al. (2008) Br J Dermatol 159(3):628-32; Liu et al. (2017) Am J Ophthalmol 183:81-90.; Yin et al. (2018) Curr Eye Res 43(3):308-13; Toyos & Briscoe (2016) J Clin Exp Ophthalmol. 7(6); Dell et al. (2017) Clin Ophthalmol 11:817-827; Prieto et al. (2002) Lasers Surg Med 30(2):82-5.}

Dry Eye and Blepharitis Products

In order to improve compliance, we sell many dry eye and blepharitis treatments in our office, including:

Commonly used drops such as the Refresh line of drops
Premium preservative free drops and ointments including products from Optase and Oasis
Both regular dry eye heat masks and premium TranquilEyes heated masks (which maintain 110 degrees of heat for >15 minutes)
Eyelid cleansing gels and wipes, including concentrated Tea Tree Oil products and hypochlorous spray for Demodex infection
CPAP compatible sleeping goggles for night time corneal exposure
Extended heat stye treatment kits