In the United States, about 14 million people have myopia. Nearly 16 million Americans suffer from dry eye disease. These numbers keep increasing each year.
Myopia, also known as nearsightedness or short-sightedness, is an eye condition. People with myopia can see distant objects, but close objects appear blurry.
Dry eye syndrome occurs when a person’s eyes always feel dry or uncomfortable. The eyes don’t produce enough tears or evaporate too quickly, which causes dryness. More and more eye doctors are seeing patients who struggle with both myopia and dry eye disease. For this reason, a doctor must have a comprehensive management plan for both conditions.
Saturn Optical partners with doctors to help deliver cutting-edge technology for treating myopia and dry eye syndrome. Our team continues to innovate new ways of treating these common eye issues so you can provide better care for your patients. We divide our efforts into creating diagnostic tools and treatment technologies that are game changers for your patients.
Advancements in Myopia Management Technologies
From reading to cooking dinner, myopia can make it difficult to perform daily tasks. Before you can begin treating myopia, you first need to diagnose it. Doctors often use visual acuity and refraction tests to diagnose myopia. However, you should learn about the latest diagnostic tools.
You also want to stay up to date on the latest treatment technologies. Here’s a look at everything you need to know:
Diagnostic Tools
Great patient care for myopia starts with diagnosing this common eye problem. Tracking its progress is also essential to finding the best treatment.
In the past, doctors used visual acuity and refraction tests to diagnose myopia. Now, new technology offers more options. You want to choose tools that improve life for your patients. Here is a look at some of the latest options:
- Corneal Topographers: The corneal topographer maps the cornea to assess myopia progression and guide treatment. Since this condition arises from an elongated eye, mapping the cornea provides additional information.
Saturn Optical provides the Topcon MYAH. This tool helps track myopia in younger patients, shows which treatments are effective, and can assist with keratoconus screening and pupillometry.
- Optical Biometers: These biometers measure precise eye movements for accurate myopia management. You can also measure the eye’s elongation and compare it to past measurements. This will help you see if the disease has progressed.
Saturn Optical has the Essilor Myopia Expert 700. This device also helps with corneal topography and provides a better view of the eye’s condition and changes over the years.
- Multifunction Units: These units are the key to versatility in combining various measurements for a comprehensive eye exam. They can measure several things, including refractometry, corneal curvature, intraocular pressure, corneal thickness, and the radius of curvature of the cornea.
Saturn Optical offers the Tomey MR-6000. An ideal tool for a professional who sees various conditions exists.
With new myopia diagnostic tools, you can set your practice apart from others in your local area. You will be better at diagnosing this condition. You can also track how the disease progresses. This helps you provide better treatment.
Treatment Technologies
Now that you have a better diagnosis and understand the problem, it’s time to focus on treating myopia. Your patients depend on your treatment for their overall quality of life. Good eyesight ensures your patients can safely drive and perform their daily tasks.
There have been new treatment technologies. These can help your patients do well at almost any stage of myopia. Here are a few treatment advances to consider:
- Specialized Lenses: Some specialized lenses make the treatment of myopia more effective for your patients. Orthokeratology lenses or Otho-K lenses can significantly improve eyesight during the day. People wear Ortho-K lenses overnight, and these lenses flatten the corneal curvature. The patient removes these lenses in the morning and can go through the day without glasses or contact lenses.
They can also help slow myopia progression for children and young adults. Multifocal contact lenses can fix vision problems while the patient wears them. They can also slow down the disease, especially in younger patients.
- Low-Level Light Therapy: This therapy uses red or near-infrared light. It can help treat myopia and slow its progression. You can offer this service to your patients in your office to provide them with treatment options.
When your office offers the latest testing and treatment technologies, you make your practice more valuable for your patients. You can give your patients more treatment options. This helps them choose what is best for their needs and eye health.
Patients seek professionals who can improve their lives. They want help slowing down their myopia, which protects their eyesight now and in the future.
Advancements in Dry Eye Treatment Technologies
Dry eye syndrome can create many unpleasant symptoms for your patients, from burning sensations to sensitivity to light. You want to help alleviate these symptoms. It starts with diagnosis, and you want an accurate way to measure the syndrome’s progression.
As technology improves, tools for diagnosis and treatment become better. They help us recognize issues and understand how serious they are. Consider these diagnostic tools and treatment technologies:
Diagnostic Tools
Is it a passing thing, or is it dry eye syndrome? You need to answer this question for your patient before you can proceed to treatment.
Your patients come to you with a laundry list of symptoms and want quick answers.
You want to give quick answers. However, you need the right tools to make an accurate diagnosis. This will help you understand how serious the patient’s case is.
Technology has come a long way and can aid you in deciding. You can review the following advances for use in your office.
- Meibography Devices: The meibomian glands release lipids onto the eye’s surface, keeping moisture in and preventing dry eye syndrome.
The melbography devices check the meibomian gland. They help determine how well it works and give clues about the disease’s severity and progress.
The TearScience LipiScan is an offering by Saturn Optical that measures the health of the melbomian gland. This tool offers advanced imaging and effective treatment for problems with the gland.
- Dry Eye Analyzers: These analyzers can measure tear film stability and other dry eye parameters. They can provide extensive information about how well the patient can produce tears, any problems, and the severity of the condition.
Saturn Optical is proud to present the Visionix VX120+. This analyzer provides information on tear breakup time, meniscus height, and full-color imaging.
When a patient tells you they have dry and itchy eyes, you must take the next steps to determine if it’s a small issue or dry eye disease. The right diagnostic tools can help you define the condition to move on to the treatment phase. You can find the tools that work best for your practice.
Treatment Technologies
Once diagnosed with dry eye syndrome, it’s time to craft a treatment plan. When choosing the best treatment, consider your patient’s needs and preferences.
Dry eye syndrome requires more than a few eye drops each day to correct. You want a treatment that mitigates the symptoms of dry eyes while providing a solution that helps your patient live their best life. Treatment technology has improved over the years, and you have some exciting new options, such as:
- Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Therapy: IPL addresses the root cause of dry eye by targeting inflammation. Once the inflammation worsens, the meibomian glands can release fluid more efficiently, helping keep the eye’s moisture in place.
Saturn Optical can provide your practice with the Lumenis Optilight. This non-invasive treatment requires a complete eye exam to ensure the patient is fit.
- Thermal Pulsation: If the reason behind your patient’s dry eye syndrome is a blocked melbomian gland, you need a way to unblock it. This piece of equipment unblocks meibomian glands to improve tear film quality. It helps the gland release fluid onto the eye. This keeps moisture from evaporating too quickly.
The TearScience LipiFlow is a thermal pulsation unit offered by Saturn Optical. This unit provides advanced imaging and effective treatment so your patients can enjoy long-lasting relief.
With the right tools, your practice can provide your patients with the latest treatment options so they find relief from dry eye syndrome. You can also offer your patients a variety of treatment methods. This allows you to find the most effective treatment for the individual patient and the severity of their symptoms. Having the best equipment at your practice can build trust with your patients and help you build a larger customer base.
The Benefits of Integrated Myopia and Dry Eye Management
You’ll often find that a patient struggles with myopia and dry eye syndrome. You may want to see myopia and dry eye disease as separate issues. However, treating them together has benefits. Here’s a look at some of those benefits for your practice and your patients:
- Improved Patient Outcomes: As a professional, you want your patients to have good outcomes. You want them to be able to see better while remaining pain—and discomfort-free.
When you integrate myopia and dry eye management, your patient can see improved outcomes. A healthcare provider can simultaneously relieve two significant challenges to a patient’s vision and comfort. This makes the patient feel good and helps you build a positive reputation.
- Increased Efficiency: Advanced technology for diagnosis and treatment saves time. You won’t need to run multiple tests for the same information, which saves your practice time and expense.
You can reduce the equipment you need. Newer tools can give you more information. This means you will run fewer tests.
- Enhanced Patient Satisfaction: Ultimately, your patients are easy to please. They want to see without annoying symptoms, such as gritty feelings in their eyes. These new technologies improve patient satisfaction. They can quickly and effectively diagnose diseases and track their progress.
Improved efficiency, great patient results, and patient satisfaction are some ways to combine myopia and dry eye care. As you use your new equipment, you’ll find many benefits beyond these.
Saturn Optical’s Commitment to Eye Care Excellence
When you are ready to consider your diagnostic and treatment options, you need a partner who will use the latest technologies to improve your patients’ experience. Saturn Optical dedicates itself to providing high-quality equipment you can use daily in your practice.
We’re committed to providing customer support and training. We want you to feel comfortable and confident when using our equipment. Visit the Saturn Optical myopia and dry eye page. Choose the tools that can improve patient care in your practice now.
