You At Your Best

SponSor Content T. Brad Coy, DO, is a board certified general surgeon at Freeman Health System. From 2009-2010 he was the President of Medical Staff, and in 2006, 2011 and 2012 he was the Chair of the Department of Surgery. Dr. Coy attended college at Southwest Baptist University and graduated with his medical degree in 1992 from Kirksville College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his general surgery residency in 1997 at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital, and has received training in all bariatric surgeries, including LAP-BAND® surgery. Dr. Coy is a member of the American Osteopathic Association, American College of Osteopathic Surgeons, American Society of Breast Surgeons and Ohio Osteopathic Medical Association. T. Brad Coy, DO Freeman HealtH SyStem physicianPROFILE: by KAren riCe What causes dry eye? Dr. Vold: The general causes of dry eye are lack of tears and also inflammation. Inflammation often results from poor health of the glands that line the eyelid, called the meibomian glands. These glands need to secrete a nice oil onto the surface of the eye to keep it healthy. If these glands are inflamed and not flowing well, the tears will evaporate off the eye very quickly. What are the symptoms of dry eye? Dr. Vold: Dry eye causes multiple kinds of symptoms. This includes itchy, red, and irritated eyes, as well as the feeling that something is 'in' the eye. You may also experience tearing in windy environments, or waking up with crusting, pain or irritation. Sometimes dry eye causes intolerance to contact lenses, glare, halos, difficulty reading, and blurry or fluctuating vision. How do you know if you need to move on from eye drops? Dr. Vold: Artificial tears often provide temporary relief from dryness, and they do not work for everyone. Their effect is generally short and symptoms may return minutes or hours after they are instilled, especially if dry eye is moderate or severe. If artificial tears alone are not controlling your symptoms adequately, it's time to have a detailed dry eye examination to determine the next best steps for treatment of your dry eye. What treatments do you recommend when eye drops stop working? Dr. Vold: At Vold Vision, we utilize many different treatments for our dry eye patients, such as intense pulse light with expressions, the lipiflow system for eyelid inflammation, and amniotic membrane treatments. Designing the best treatment plan for your eyes is done with a very individualized approach by your physician after a detailed dry eye exam. Dry EyE With ophthamologist Dr. Steven Vold Did you know? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov) says that people who can't see well may choose or be required to stop driving, reading or traveling, and may also be more likely to develop depression later on. 12 | YOU AT YOUR BEST | nwAdg.cOm/YOUATYOURBEST SEpTEmBER - ViSiOn HEAlTH | SATURdAY, AUgUST 31, 2019

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