Dr. Jenifer Ramsower: Bringing Relief to Dry Eye Sufferers in Florida

COURTESY PHOTO

Jordan Pysz / iFoundMyDoctor.com
A comprehensive treatment plan from the Dry Eye Center of Florida cleared Timothy’s eyes and allowed him to ditch the sunglasses he once used to hide them.

Timothy Giachetta, PsyD, lived most of his adult life in New York, just outside of Albany. For a while, he lived in Michigan, where he was a practicing psychologist. But he eventually returned to New York and transitioned into an executive leadership role. “During the last 16 years of my career, I ran two fairly large human service organizations in New York,” Timothy shares. “I finished my career as president and CEO of Berkshire Farm Center and Services for Youth,” which sits on a 2,000-acre campus in the Berkshire Mountains near the border with Massachusetts. “We ran a special needs school and had various levels of residential treatment for high-risk youth from high-risk families who had emotional, mental health and behavioral issues. We also operated 20 community offices across New York, where we provided a complete spectrum of care for high-risk youth and their families.” Timothy, 70, enjoyed his leadership role, but it commanded his attention 24/7. In 2016, after the demands of the position began to take a toll, Timothy retired, and he and his wife moved to Naples, where they owned a vacation home. Around the same time, Timothy was dealing with a severe case of dry eye disease, a common disorder that occurs when the tears can’t provide sufficient lubrication to keep the eyes moist. Dry eye affects the tear film, which is made of complex layers of oil, water and mucus that protect the surface of the eyes. “My eyes were very red and irritated,” Timothy describes. “They were also sensitive to just about everything, including smoke. And if I swam in a pool that had chlorine in it, my eyes would look like the devil, and people would make fun of me. “I was most self-conscious of the redness. I would look at other people’s eyes, and they were bright white. My eyes looked like I just came off a weekend of binge drinking. It was terrible. My eyes were so gritty and irritated that it was starting to impact my quality of life.” Seeking a remedy, Timothy visited multiple eye doctors, but the various eyedrops prescribed for him did little to improve the symptoms. Then one day, an answer to his prayers for relief arrived in his mailbox: a postcard from Dr. Jenifer Ramsower announcing the opening of the Dry Eye Center of Florida, the only practice in the region dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease. “The flyer described how Dr. Ramsower has 20 years of experience as an eye doctor and specializes in dry eye disease,” Timothy recalls. “It said she has modern testing and treatment techniques for people with chronic dry eye. I said, God has given me a gift, so I immediately went into the house and called to make an appointment.”

Hiding Behind Sunglasses

While conducting her initial evaluation of Timothy, Dr. Ramsower found symptoms associated with dry eye disease. “When Mr. Giachetta first came to me, he explained that he had been suffering with bloodshot eyes for many years along with discomfort in his eyes and blurry vision,” Dr. Ramsower recalls. “He was very unhappy with the appearance of his eyes and said his friends never saw him without sunglasses because he was always trying to hide his red eyes. “He also said that his eyes were goopy in the morning, to the point where sometimes he could hardly open them. He had tried multiple eyedrops to ease his symptoms, but they provided little relief.” Dr. Ramsower’s evaluation included scans of Timothy’s meibomian glands, which secrete oil from the eyelids, and lab tests to obtain a tear film analysis. The tear film analysis measures the oil and water components in the tears, which must be in balance to maintain a healthy tear film. “We discovered that some blockages in Mr. Giachetta’s meibomian glands were decreasing the amount of oil in his tears, which were not properly lubricating his eyes,” Dr. Ramsower informs. “He also had significant inflammation in his eyes, not only along the lid margins, which were swollen and red due to ocular rosacea, but within the tears themselves.” In addition, Timothy had a disruption in the corneal epithelium, the outer layer of the transparent covering at the front of each eye. “As a result, the surfaces of his eyes were red and rough,” Dr. Ramsower says. To correct these problems, Dr. Ramsower recommended an eyedrop that prevents the body from producing inflammatory cells within the tear layer and treatments with the Optima™ Intense Pulsed Light (IPL). The latter, developed by Lumenis®, is an FDA-certified device that decreases inflammation. “The Optima IPL helps to seal off the abnormal blood vessels that cause inflammation in the ocular tissue,” the doctor explains. “Improved meibomian gland function, greater tear stability and a reduction of dry eye symptoms have been reported following treatment. “I recommended that treatment because Mr. Giachetta’s dry eye was primarily inflammation-based. After the treatment, his meibomian began to function much better. The treatment also calmed down the corneal epithelium, which helped improve his blurry vision.”

White Eyes

By following the treatment plan, Timothy experienced a significant improvement in his dry eye symptoms and soon began to appear in public without sunglasses. “Once I finished the IPL treatments, my eyes really improved,” Timothy confirms. “My eyes are better now than at any point in my adult life. “They’re 85 to 90 percent better, the grittiness and irritation have gone away, and my eyes are actually white most of the time.” Timothy has high praise for Dr. Ramsower and her team. “Dr. Ramsower is not only great at what she does, she’s also a wonderful person,” he raves. “She’s so natural and delightful to be around. Her staff is super professional and friendly. I highly recommend Dr. Ramsower and Dry Eye Center of Florida to anybody with dry eyes.”