Dry eye care
Finding out why your eyes burn or blur, and treating it, including before and after refractive surgery.
- Evaluation
- About 45 minutes
- Typical plan
- Home care plus 1 to 3 visits
- Before surgery
- Often treated first
01 · Overview
How dry eye care works
Dry eye is not always about too few tears. Often the oil glands in the eyelids are blocked, so tears evaporate too fast. Utah's dry, high-altitude air and long screen days do not help.
We look at your tear film, eyelid glands and the eye surface, then build a plan that can include drops, lid care, small plugs that keep tears on the eye, and in-office heat or light treatments.
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01
Evaluation
Tear film tests, gland imaging and a look at the eyelid edges.
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02
A plan you can keep
Home care first: warm compresses, lid hygiene and the right drops.
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03
In-office treatment
Heat treatment for blocked glands, light therapy or tear duct plugs, when they fit.
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04
Recheck
We measure again in 6 to 8 weeks and adjust.
02 · Good fit?
Who this care often suits, and who should wait
Often a good fit
- Burning, grittiness or blurry vision that clears when you blink
- Contact lenses that feel uncomfortable by mid-afternoon
- Planning LASIK, PRK, SMILE or cataract surgery
- Dryness after an earlier eye surgery
Maybe not, or not yet
- Sudden pain, light sensitivity or vision loss: call us the same day instead
- Light therapy with some skin types or medications
Only an in-person exam can decide. These lists help you know what to ask. Your corneal map, prescription history and eye health decide. Try the self-check
03 · Risks and side effects
Said plainly, before you book
We describe how often things happen in words, not percentages, and we go through them again at your screening with your own measurements in front of us. No surgery is risk-free, and no one can promise a specific result.
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Common
It takes time
Dry eye usually improves gradually and often needs ongoing home care.
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Less common
Treatment discomfort
Warmth, mild redness or a short sting after in-office treatments.
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Rare
Plug problems
Tear duct plugs can fall out or irritate. They can be removed.
04 · Recovery
What the days and weeks after look like
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Same day
Most in-office treatments need no downtime.
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Weeks 2 to 8
Gland function and comfort often improve gradually.
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Ongoing
Home care keeps the gains. We recheck once or twice a year.
05 · Cost
Evaluation insurance billed
in-office treatments $250 to $1,200 per session
The evaluation is billed to insurance where your plan covers it. In-office treatments are usually self-pay, about $250 to $1,200 per session for both eyes depending on the treatment.
Pricing, financing and FSA/HSAWhat your quote includes
- Dry eye evaluation, billed to insurance where covered
- A written home-care plan
- Prices for any in-office treatment before you book it
Financing through outside lenders is subject to credit approval. Terms vary; you see them before you sign.
Does dry eye stop me from having LASIK?
Not always. Untreated dry eye can make results and recovery worse, so we often treat it first and re-measure before deciding.
Will LASIK make my dry eye worse?
It can, at least for a while. That is why we measure it before surgery and talk about whether PRK, SMILE or no surgery fits better.
Also worth comparing
- LASIK Adults with a stable glasses or contacts prescription and healthy corneas. $2,100 to $2,900 per eye
- PRK People who are not suited to a flap, or who would rather not have one. $2,000 to $2,800 per eye
- Glaucoma care People with glaucoma, high eye pressure, or a family history who need regular checks. Insurance billed SLT laser self-pay $900 to $1,400 per eye
Free screening
Start with a proper look at your eyes.
A free 90-minute screening, a surgeon who reads the results with you, and a written quote per eye if surgery makes sense. If it does not, we will tell you that too.