Meet Joanie

Woman with blue jacket with dry eye

Joanie is a graphic designer who loves sailing and skiing. Her work has her on a computer for up to 10 hours per day. Before the pandemic, she worked at an agency where she took regular computer breaks for meetings.  Since she has been working from home for the past two years, all of Joanie’s meetings have been online. She continues to work from home several days per week. The extra hours on the computer have increased her dry eye symptoms.

Symptoms: Eyes that often sting, itch, burn, and cause blurry vision.

How Dry Eye Affects Joanie’s Life

I had to remind myself to take breaks from the screen by setting a timer on my phone.

“Even when I took breaks, I was still having blurry vision. As a graphic designer, I often don’t blink as often as I should because I’m concentrating heavily on the screen design. This makes my dry eye worse! I don’t feel I am doing my best when I have trouble seeing well. Sometimes I would take a day off from work to let my eyes rest. But I didn’t want to get into the habit of using my vacation time for that.”

Joanie’s Treatment Path

“I scheduled a visit with my optometrist to talk with her about my eyes.  She told me that there are about 40 million people with dry eye symptoms in the U.S. but less than half have an actual diagnosis of dry eye disease!  She evaluated my eyes to see what was going on and noticed inflammation right away.

We first tried specialty eye drops, which helped a little bit but were not a long-term solution for my condition.

She then suggested cauterizing my tear ducts to keep my tears from draining out of my eyes.  This didn’t help either.  I was really frustrated until we tried scleral lenses. I was worried about the size of the lens because I’ve only seen soft contact lenses before, but BostonSight SCLERAL has a range of sizes so my optometrist could find the one that was most comfortable for me. The tear reservoir in the lens makes my eyes so hydrated.  No more itchiness or stinging.

I’ve been back at work with no problems for a year.”

What is Dry Eye?

Approximately 1 in 100 adults struggles with moderate or severe dry eye. Dry eye disease is caused by abnormalities of the tear film. The tear film has three layers that coat the surface of the eyes and aid in providing clear vision while protecting the delicate and sensitive eye tissues. Dry eye is a multifactorial disease that results in tear film instability, visual disturbances and discomfort. 

Dry eye does not necessarily mean your eyes are “dry”. Symptoms can include:

  • chronically watery eyes
  • stinging
  • burning
  • a gritty feeling
  • pain
  • light sensitivity
  • redness
  • visual disturbance
  • inflammation

Severe dry eye can be debilitating. It can lead to chronic pain, corneal scarring, and vision loss if not properly treated. BostonSight SCLERAL lenses are designed to treat symptoms of dry eye and promote long-term eye health.

*Xiidra®, Restasis®, and artificial tears can be beneficial for many, but when they don’t work, scleral lenses are the preferred choice.

Looking for relief from dry eye?  We’ve got you covered.