Did You Know That Our Tears Are Made Up Of Many Components?
So what are tears made of? Our tears are made up of three components: lipid (oil), water and mucus. Each of these layers serves their own purpose. The oily layer is the outside of the tear film. It smooths the tear surface and keeps your tears from drying up too quickly. The watery layer is the middle of the tear film which makes up most of what we see as tears. This layer washes away foreign particles and cleans the eye. The mucus layer is the inner layer of the tear film which helps spread the watery layer over the eye surface to keep it moist. Tears keep your eyes healthy and comfortable.
We have three separate glands responsible for creating good quality tears. The meibomian glands produce the oil in our tears. The lacrimal glands create the volume of tears. The conjunctiva, the clear tissue covering the white of our eyes and inside our lids, produces the mucus.
You need the right amount of all these components to have good quality tears.
Do Artificial Tears Do The Same Thing?
Although artificial tears can help, they are not able to replicate the same balance of tear quality that our body naturally creates.
At CarlinVision we now offer a drug-free, drop-free treatment option with a new device available to you in our office, TrueTear™. This device is doctor-prescribed and uses state of the art technology to stimulate the nerves in your nasal cavity with tiny pulses of energy. Signals are sent to your brain which are then sent to tear glands surrounding your eyes to react and temporarily increase tear production with some mild side effects. The results last not just for the moment but for hours and those tears are the proper balance of oil, water and mucus.
Come in to the office or contact Allie, our Dry Eye Coordinator, at 770.979.2020 x246 or dryeye@carlinvision.com for more information about tears, TrueTear™ and our Dry Eye Service.
Dr. Melanie Bennett-Sims