Oct. 29, 2024
Ferris State’s Michigan College of Optometry opens dry eye clinic to address a growing problem
Ferris State University’s Michigan College of Optometry has opened a new clinic to help patients with dry eye disease, a problem affecting millions of adults and a growing number of younger people.
Dry eye disease occurs when the eyes don’t produce enough tears, or the tears they produce are of low quality. Symptoms include irritation, redness, blurred vision, and tired eyes. The condition affects millions of American adults with millions more suffering and trying over-the-counter remedies but not clinically diagnosed.
Dry eye disease occurs when eyes don’t produce enough tears, or the tears they do produce are low quality. The Ferris State Michigan College of Optometry has a new clinic addressing this disease affecting millions of people.
And experts say the numbers are growing every year, and not just in older adults. There is an increase in the problem in younger people, for reasons including prolonged use of digital devices.
A new Dry Eye Clinic at Ferris State University’s Michigan College of Optometry aims to combat the growing issue. It is headed by Dr. Christopher Albright, who serves as an MCO assistant professor and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry.
While all eye doctors can treat the problem, MCO leaders said it is relatively rare to have a clinic devoted specifically to the condition and have the specialized equipment found in the Ferris State clinic.
“Our mission is to provide the highest quality, comprehensive care for individuals suffering from dry eye and offer our students a contemporary learning experience,” Albright said. “We are committed to enhancing our patient’s quality of life through advanced diagnostic/ therapeutic equipment, treatment, and personalized care. We strive to deliver a tailored approach to each case to meet each patient’s unique needs.”
Like the other MCO clinics, the Dry Eye Clinic assists patients examined and treated by advanced optometry doctoral students, under Albright's close supervision.
The clinic located in the MCO building at 1124 S. State Street and is open on Mondays from 8 a.m. to noon. Patients must be referred by their doctor to be seen.
Albright is hopeful that more hours might be added in the future, but because the clinic has been open only for a few months, he and his fourth-year MCO students want to make sure they are treating every patient with the time and attention they deserve.
One of the new options the Dry Eye Clinic is bringing to those it serves is Intense Pulsed Light therapy or IPL, which delivers gentle pulses of light to the skin adjacent to the eyes to reduce inflammation and improve meibomian gland function, which are oil producing glands of the eyelids responsible for preventing tear evaporation. Early feedback from those who have had the IPL therapy have been positive.
"Happiness all around after the first treatment," one patient wrote in an email.
Another therapy is powered by a TearCare thermal heat device, which applies heat to the eyelids to clear meibomian gland obstructions, improving dry eye symptoms.
Both therapies, Albright said, are options for patients but not required as part of a wide spectrum of care he and his students seek to make available.
Patients who are referred to the clinic get a full initial evaluation of 90 minutes from Albright, a comprehensive examination that is a deep dive into all their health history and all their current treatments and therapies.
Patients also receive diagnostic testing and imaging of their ocular surface, which aids in diagnosing their specific type of dryness.