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Spotting the Signs of Dry Eye

Understanding the Symptoms

Understanding the Symptoms

Dry eye is a common condition that affects millions of people worldwide, and its symptoms can vary in severity. It's crucial to recognize the signs of dry eye early to seek appropriate treatment and improve your eye health and comfort.

A man is sitting at a desk and rubbing his eyes with his hand, he is wearing glasses and a watch and there is a laptop and a notepad in front of him.
woman with her finger on her eye looking into the camera

Common Symptoms to Look Out For

Experiencing dry eye symptoms can greatly affect your daily life and overall health. These symptoms can disrupt your work, hobbies, and even your ability to carry out everyday tasks comfortably.

The constant discomfort and distraction caused by these symptoms can lower your productivity and overall quality of life.

Here are common signs that may indicate dry eye syndrome:

  • Dryness

    A persistent sensation of dryness, grittiness, or eye irritation.

  • Itching

    Frequent itching or a burning sensation in and around the eyes.

  • Redness

    Bloodshot or red eyes, often accompanied by discomfort.

  • Excessive Tearing

    Paradoxically, your eyes may produce more tears as a response to dryness, leading to watery eyes.

  • Blurry Vision

    Vision may become temporarily blurred, particularly when reading or using digital screens.

  • Light Sensitivity

    Increased sensitivity to light, known as photophobia.

  • Foreign Body Sensation

    Feeling as though something is in your eye.

  • Eye Fatigue

    Increased eye fatigue, especially during prolonged periods of reading, screen time, or other visually demanding tasks.

Ignoring dry eye symptoms can lead to worsening discomfort and potential complications. Chronic dry eye can damage the eye's surface and increase the risk of eye infections, scarring, and vision loss. Seeking professional guidance if you're experiencing any of these symptoms is crucial.

Dry Eye Diagnosis and Expert Care

When you choose Your Family Eye Doctors - Murrysville for your dry eye care, you benefit from our expertise in comprehensive diagnosis. We understand that your unique health history and lifestyle can affect your dry eye differently, which is why we practice personalized care tailored to you. Our approach includes:

  • In-Depth Eye Exams

    During a comprehensive eye exam, we evaluate your eyelids, eye surface, and your complete health history and lifestyle to identify potential underlying causes of dry eyes.

  • Tear Assessment

    We conduct a detailed assessment of your tears, measuring their volume and quality. This assessment helps us identify any deficiencies in tear quantity or quality, crucial factors in dry eye diagnosis.

  • Tear Breakup Time

    Using advanced techniques like tear breakup time measurement, we identify specific areas of your eyes where tears may evaporate more rapidly. This information aids in tailoring your treatment plan.

  • Specialized Dry Eye Test: Schirmer Test

    This test involves placing blotting test paper strips on the lower eyelids to measure tear production over a specific time. It helps determine the volume of tears your eyes produce.

Patient Reviews

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191 Reviews
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Janine M. - May 11, 2026
We had a great experience at “Your Family Eye Doctor” because they were friendly and helpful. Very g... ood service!
Joe P. - May 8, 2026
I have been a patient of this office for a few years now. I wear both glasses and contacts. I feel c... onflicted however because I like smaller/more private eye clinics like this vs. major retailers. That being said, I struggle with the pricing. First, let me say that everyone at the office is extremely nice and friendly. The doctor(s) are extremely nice, helpful, and explain things well. Yesterday I went with the intention of altering the type of contacts I wear as I had been wearing Precision 1 (Dailies) for astigmatism,but they simply cost too much. So I wanted to go back to either 2 week disposable or (preferably) monthly disposable. I brought my 3 pairs of Oakley eyeglasses which are all in good shape, I asked to be fitted for monthly contacts as they are one of the cheapest and was told that 2 week disposables would be the best for my situation. I had no problem with the suggestion and we went with Acuvue Oasysis w/hydroglyde. The Dr. also checked my most current pair of Oakley glasses and made an adjustment to the lenses, which, while in the chair, definitely seemed to make a difference. Now comes the confusing part. I hate vision benefits as they don't seem to cover enough for what the price of quality eye products cost---but that certainly isn't the office'e fault. My benefits allow EITHER frames and contacts or lenses and frames per year. But, I wanted to see how much it would be to put the updated prescription of lenses into my most current Oakley frames and use my benefits towards the disposable contacts. My allowance is $130 for disposable contacts. Single vision lenses are paid in full and based on the additives selected (scratch-resistance, polycarbonate, etc, have copays). I was told I would get the best use of my insurance on the lenses and pay out of pocket for my contacts. I was prepared to hear a total between $400-$500 for everything since I was buying 6 months of contacts and was told my Oakleys needed a "thinner" type of lense. The contacts, and whatever I had to pay for the contact lense fitting and evaluation, plus that eye-scanning test that's around $44, was $383.47. Then I heard the total to put the new lenses in my glasses and it would have been somewhere around $240!! I was not prepared to pay roughly $624 so I asked that we simply hold off on the lenses, and use the benefits for my contacts. So I paid $383.47 for contacts with plans to come back in a few weeks to have my lenses put into my glasses. My girlfriend was with me and we were talking and the amount I paid just seemed high. Plus, I didn't receive any type of itemized statement for the services provided, their cost, and what the insurance was to pay. I decided to go to Visionworks in South Hills Village Mall on the way home. I walked into Visionworks, pulled up my current prescription, and told them I simply wanted to see what the cost would be to have the lenses put into the frames. The lady called EyeMed and was told I would be responsible for a $40 copay for polycarbonate, that's it!!! (I didn't think I could get lenses since I just got contacts) but I wasn't going to argue. So, rather than $240 (roughly) for 1 pair of lenses that I was quoted, Visionworks charged me $40 for new lenses put into the same frames. AND, since they were having a buy 1, get 1 50% off, she took my back-up Oakley glasses and I'm getting the new prescription lenses put into THOSE frames also. I walked out of VisionWorks paying $155 for 2 sets of new lenses with polycarbonate and scratch coating rather than paying $240 for 1 set of lenses!!! This makes me wonder if I was way overcharged for my contacts? Today, I asked to have an itemized statement sent to me from Your family Eye Doctors to see the cost per box and with the insurance paying for $130 worth. Again, I have no problem with Your Family Eye Doctors. They are professional, clean, thorough, and have a large selection. My only feeling is that it's a bit pricey as I would have paid about $624 and paid $538 between the two providers (and I'm receiving an extra pair of lenses).

Dry Eyes in Murrysville

Exterior view of our Family Eye Doctors - Murrysville optometry practice.
Photograph of Chris Cakanac
Hours
  • Monday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Tuesday 9:00 am - 7:00 pm
  • Wednesday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Thursday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm
  • Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
  • Saturday 8:00 am - 12:30 pm
  • Sunday Closed
Insurance Plans
  • Medicare
  • United Healthcare
  • Spectera
  • Medicaid
  • Anthem
  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • Blue Cross
  • MetLife
  • Aetna
business-man-adjusting-glasses

Consult Our Dry Eye Experts

At Your Family Eye Doctors - Murrysville, our experienced eye care providers are ready to help you find relief from dry eye symptoms. We understand these symptoms' impact on your daily life and are committed to improving your eye health and comfort.

Contact us to schedule an appointment and discuss your dry eye symptoms. Let's work together to find the most suitable treatment and enhance your quality of life.