About 10% of men - and 18% of women - over 50 suffer from painful dry eye, but new treatments can restore clear, healthy vision.

BOWLING GREEN, OH / ACCESSWIRE / August 15, 2016 / Optometrist Mile Brujic, O.D., FAAO, of the Premier Vision Group, with three locations in Ohio, today warns about the growing problem of dry eye - and describes innovative new treatments to bring relief and to restore clear, healthy vision and quality of life.

Dry eye afflicts millions of Americans, with the incidence increasing with age. More than 18% of women over the age of 50 - about 3.2 million - and more than 10% of men are affected.

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It is a serious and growing problem, says Dr. Brujic. "Dryness can cause blurred vision, burning sensations or a feeling there is something in the eye all the time," he explains. "People have had to give up night driving or even work on computers less comfortably than they should have to because of it."

Other symptoms include episodes of excess tears followed by very dry eye periods, feelings of 'heavy' eyelids, inability to wear contact lenses, and eye fatigue.

Dry eye is typically caused or exacerbated by tiny microbes - bacteria and parasitic mites - that live on the eyelids. The microbes cause inflammation and block a gland near the eye - the meibomian gland - from releasing a natural oil needed for the protective film of tears on the eyes. The microbes also produce lipase, an enzyme that breaks up the crucial oil.

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A better understanding of this condition, however, has enabled Premier Vision Group and other eye clinics to successfully treat people with dry eye utilizing new diagnostic and treatments options that have become available over the last several years:

  • A new device called InflammaDry allows eye doctors to measure whether there is inflammation on the surface of the eye. Know this helps us guide the best treatment approach for our patients.

  • A new type of daily eye drop, called Xiidra, was just approved by the Food & Drug Administration. In vitro testing demonstrates that Xiidra helps control the inflammation that contributes to meibomian gland dysfunction. And in clinical trials, Xiidra was significantly better than placebo in bringing relief from dry eye.

  • An innovative daily lid and lash hygiene spray, Avenova from NovaBay Pharmaceuticals, uses Neutrox, a pure 0.01% solution of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) in saline. In clinical trials, Avenova rapidly reduced bacteria from the lids associated with dry eye. In vitro testing demonstrates that Avenova also blocks inflammatory agents released by both the bacteria and the body, and breaks up the lipase that attacks the tear-protection oil released by the meibomian glands, yet is completely safe.

"All of these new options are remarkably helpful to help understand what is causing the irritation and also alleviate the symptoms that people may be feeling," says Dr. Brujic. "We have found that cleaning the eyelids twice a day with Avenova sprayed onto a cotton pad has been especially successful in treating dry eye symptoms."

"So we want to make sure that people know that help is available," Dr. Brujic adds. "No one needs to suffer from this problem anymore."

Contact:

Dr. Brujic
Premier Vision Group
1222 Ridgewood Dr.
Bowling Green, OH 43402
Phone: 419-352-2502
brujic@prodigy.net

SOURCE: NovaBay Pharmaceuticals