Beyond The Tears

Jordan Pysz / iFoundMyDoctor.com
Renee says the comprehensive treatment she received for dry eye disease has changed her life.

Renee Bronson’s interest in psychology dates back to her days in high school. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in the subject, but that didn’t allow her career to excel as she hoped.

“I just did the four-year degree, and that doesn’t qualify you for many well-paying jobs, so I worked in a family business for a long time,” Renee recounts. “When I was in my 40s, I went back to school, earned a master’s degree and became a licensed mental health counselor.”

The wait was worthwhile.

“I’ve been a practicing psychotherapist since then, but I don’t really specialize,” she continues. “I work with anyone who comes my way. I see couples and people with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. I practice in my home and see all my clients virtually.”

Staring at a computer screen for hours at a time is a problem for Renee, 70. The reason is that for most of her life, she has suffered from dry eye disease, a common disorder in which the eyes fail to produce the proper quantity of tears or the right quality of tears to stay sufficiently lubricated.

Renee’s condition is a consequence of Sjögren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disease in which the immune system attacks the glands that produce tears. The resulting symptoms can be discomfort and weakened vision.

For Renee, the problem progressively worsened over the past 10 years.

“It was awful,” she laments. “I woke up every morning with my eyes glued shut and had to put hot compresses on them just to get them open. My eyes were always dry, itchy, red, swollen and cruddy, and there was a lot of goop in them. It became so bad that I could barely read, and there was a time when I wouldn’t drive because I didn’t feel safe because my vision was so poor.”

Renee has long received treatment for the condition. However, her physician recently stopped treating dry eye patients, forcing her to look for care elsewhere.

A search led her to Dry Eye Center of Florida, the Melbourne practice of Dr. Jenifer Ramsower. It is the only practice in Central Florida dedicated to the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye disease.

Multiple Concerns

“Ms. Bronson has a very severe case of dry eye disease, where she makes little to no tears,” Dr. Ramsower reports. “She’s tried multiple treatments over the years – gels and ointments, prescription eyedrops, cleansers, antibiotic drops, even cauterizing her tear ducts to keep the tears on her eyes. But they didn’t alleviate her symptoms, so she was at her wits’ end when she came to me.”

Dr. Ramsower performed a full diagnostic workup on Renee.

“Our tests revealed Ms. Bronson actually had a combination-type of dry eye disease,” the doctor observes. “Not only was her oil layer deficient, but her tear volume was inadequate. As a result, her condition required multiple treatment approaches.”

Dr. Ramsower explains that an inadequate amount of oil, water or both is what causes dry eye disease.

“The tear film on the eyes must contain a proper balance of water and oil,” Dr. Ramsower informs. “A thin oil layer results when the oil glands in the eyelids — the meibomian glands — become blocked and do not function properly. This is called meibomian gland dysfunction, or MGD.”

Renee also had ocular rosacea, which causes inflammation at the margin (edge) of the eyelid that can plug up meibomian glands and cause an unstable tear film. Based on the information gathered through her evaluation, Dr. Ramsower tailored a comprehensive treatment plan.

That plan included using a device called the iTear®100, which stimulates the lacrimal glands to promote a tear response. The lacrimal glands secrete the aqueous portion of the tear film. The treatment helped Renee produce more natural tears.

To tackle the MGD and ocular rosacea, Dr. Ramsower used a combination of two FDA-certified advanced treatments. One is the Johnson & Johnson® LipiFlow® Thermal Pulsation System. The other is the Lumenis® Optima Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), which decreases inflammation.

“During a LipiFlow treatment, we place sterile activators inside the eyes,” Dr. Ramsower describes. “This 12-minute automated office treatment is computer controlled, so it is a precise way to clear meibomian gland obstruction and restore healthy function.

“Lumenis Optima IPL helps to seal off the abnormal blood vessels that cause inflammation in the surrounding ocular tissue. Improved meibomian gland function, greater tear stability and a reduction of dry eye symptoms have been reported following this treatment.”

In addition, Dr. Ramsower introduced Renee to a dry eye-friendly skin care and makeup line. These products are made with more gentle preservatives that won’t irritate the lid margin.

Finally, the doctor relayed all information about Renee’s dry eye treatment to her general physician and the rheumatologist treating her Sjögren’s syndrome.

“I Have My Life Back”

Today, Renee reports that she is feeling better and working comfortably at her computer. The discomfort in her eyes is gone, and her other dry eye symptoms have decreased significantly.

“Dr. Ramsower changed my life, and I mean that literally,” Renee enthuses. “Since the treatment, my eyes are like brand new. I have very little irritation. My eyes are never glued shut. When I wake up in the morning, I can open my eyes and function. I’m reading, I’m driving, I have my life back. It’s heaven.”

Renee adds high praise for the doctor who finally got her dry eye under control.

“Dr. Ramsower is very caring and present with you,” Renee enthuses. “When you’re telling her your story, she’s right there; no detail is too much for her. She’s very respectable and sweet. I just can’t say enough about how much I’ve come to love her.

“She’s also very knowledgeable. She knew more at my first appointment than all the eye doctors I’ve ever been to before. I highly recommend Dr. Ramsower and Dry Eye Center of Florida.”