Advanced therapies for severe dry eye are designed to address underlying causes and provide long-term relief when standard treatments like artificial tears are insufficient. One option is prescription eye drops, such as cyclosporine (Restasis) or lifitegrast (Xiidra), which help reduce inflammation and improve tear production. Punctal plugs are another effective therapy, where small devices are inserted into the tear ducts to retain moisture on the eye's surface. For more severe cases, autologous serum eye drops, made from a patient’s own blood, can provide customized relief and promote healing. Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy targets inflammation and improves the function of oil glands in the eyelids, reducing tear evaporation.
Using warm compresses is an effective and simple treatment for managing dry eye symptoms.
Warm compresses help by improving the function of the meibomian glands in the eyelids, which produce the oily layer of tears essential for preventing evaporation.
