Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Tear Osmolarity Part III: What Tear to Choose

At Skyvision Centers in Westlake all of our doctors use the TEAR OSMOLARITY test from Tearlab to help make the choice of which artificial tear product to use in order to make you feel better. There are SO many different brands and types of tears on the shelves in Cleveland's pharmacies it can be overwhelming, so we give you the guidance you need!

An osmolarity result of less than 300 is considered normal at Skyvision, and a result over 308 is abnormal. Our doctors combine this result with their observation of your natural tears and the surface of your eye to make their suggestions. Artificial tears presently come in 3 general categories: surface stabilizers (for evaporative dry eye), hydrators or supplements (for low tear production), and what we call "utility infielders" or all-purpose (for mixed dry eye).

If you have a high tear osmolarity, a result over 308, we will generally prescribe a hydrator like THERA TEARS, or OPTIVE. If your osmolarity is less than 300, especially if your tear break-up time is short (lots of evaporation), we have confidence in SOOTHE XP, BLINK, and SYSTANE BALANCE. If you have some symptoms with a result between 300 and 308, or if your osmolarity is low but you don't have lots of evaporation, good all-purpose tears like REFRESH and SYSTANE ULTRA often do the trick!

Dry eye is more than just saying "use tears", and we are committed to helping you use the best choice FOR YOU!!

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