happy couple hiking
home iconHome Dry Eye TearCare

Advanced Dry Eye Treatment with TearCare®

Book an Appointment Find a Doctor Locations

Do you suffer from uncomfortable symptoms of dry eye disease, like irritation, a feeling of grittiness, or overly-watery eyes? If so, you might achieve fast and lasting relief from your symptoms through treatment with the TearCare device at a Virginia Eye Consultants practice in Virginia Beach or Norfolk, VA. The ophthalmologists at our practice are proud to employ this innovative device, which has been shown to provide patients with significantly more dry eye symptom relief than the standard at-home remedy.

Book an Appointment Find a Doctor Locations

What is the Cause of Your Dry Eyes?

For up to 85% of people diagnosed with dry eye disease, the source of their discomfort is a blockage of the meibomian glands. These glands line the eyelids and release an oil called meibum, which slows the rate of tear evaporation. In people with evaporative dry eye, the meibomian glands become clogged with meibum blockages, limiting their ability to express this tear-moisturizing substance and causing uncomfortable symptoms of dry Trusetd Source Checkbox Trusted Source Distribution of aqueous-deficient and evaporative dry eye in a clinic-based patient cohort: a retrospective study Lemp MA, Crews LA, Bron AJ, Foulks GN, Sullivan BD Go to Source eye. This condition is known as meibomian gland dysfunction Trusetd Source Checkbox Trusted Source Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer Findlay Q, Reid K Go to Source (MGD).

How Does TearCare Treat MGD?

Traditionally, one of the main recommended treatments for evaporative dry eye caused by MGD was the application of warm compresses to the eyelids, which helps to dissolve blockages in the meibomian glands. While sometimes effective, this treatment can be inconvenient, must be frequently repeated, and often only provides temporary relief of dry eye symptoms.

The TearCare system revolutionizes dry eye treatment with its device that applies constant therapeutic heat directly to the meibomian glands while the eyes remain open and able to blink naturally. Patients are able to relax in their ophthalmologist’s office while wearing the TearCare device on their eyelids for roughly 15 minutes. Once the gentle heat from the device has melted blockages in the meibomian glands, the ophthalmologist gently presses on the eyelids to clear these blockages away. The doctor then uses a special tool to remove any debris from the eye. Patients experience immediate relief of dry eye symptoms after treatment with TearCare, and symptoms continue to improve over time.

Treatment with the TearCare system is fast and painless, and clinical research has shown that just 12 minutes of treatment with TearCare is more significantly more effective than daily use of a warm compress over the course of weeks or even Trusetd Source Checkbox Trusted Source A novel system, TearCare®, for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease Badawi D Go to Source months.

Searching for Dry Eye Relief?

If you have struggled with the symptoms of dry eye and found little to no relief after using warm compresses, you might be able to enjoy prompt and lasting relief through treatment with the TearCare system at Virginia Eye Consultants.

smiling woman using laptop and holding coffee mug

Contact Virginia Eye Consultants

To learn more about this novel treatment or to schedule an appointment with an experienced ophthalmologist, please contact us today.

Contact Us

By submitting this form you consent to receive phone calls, text messages and emails from Virginia Eye Consultants. It is not a condition of purchasing any goods or services. You can opt out at any time, message/data rates may apply, and opting-in includes acceptance of the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. Communications through our website or via email are not encrypted and are not necessarily secure. Use of the internet or email is for your convenience only, and by using them, you assume the risk of unauthorized use.

1 Lemp MA, Crews LA, Bron AJ, Foulks GN, Sullivan BD. Distribution of aqueous-deficient and evaporative dry eye in a clinic-based patient cohort: a retrospective study. Cornea. 2012 May;31(5):472-8. doi: 10.1097/ICO.0b013e318225415a. PMID: 22378109. Available: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22378109/. Accessed December 7, 2020.
2 Findlay Q, Reid K. Dry eye disease: when to treat and when to refer. Aust Prescr. 2018;41(5):160-163. doi:10.18773/austprescr.2018.048. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6202299/. Accessed December 7, 2020.
3 Badawi D. A novel system, TearCare®, for the treatment of the signs and symptoms of dry eye disease. Clin Ophthalmol. 2018;12:683-694. Published 2018 Apr 10. doi:10.2147/OPTH.S160403. Available: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5903489/. Accessed December 7, 2020.

The doctors at Virginia Eye Consultants have either authored or reviewed the content on this site.