The dry eye center, run by Dr. Rachel Roman, offers the latest in dry eye diagnostics that helps identify the underlying cause of the disease and allows the doctor to devise a targeted treatment plan that gets you the quickest relief.
Dr. Roman joined Eye Coast Eye in 2024 and has been a wonderful addition to our practice. Her fellow colleagues appreciate her passion and dedication to managing this ubiquitous and often overlooked condition.
While it might seem like a simple problem, dry eye disease is really a very complex and chronic condition. It’s cause is multifactorial – meaning it is typically caused by various factors including: environmental conditions, screen use, contact lens wear, certain medications and underlying autoimmune conditions.
If you experience: watery eyes, burning, fluctuating vision, eye fatigue, gritty or sandy feeling, you may have dry eye disease.
We invite you to come in for a dry eye consultation or ask your eye care provider at your upcoming visit!
Dry eye isn’t just about discomfort — it’s caused by an unstable, unhealthy tear film.
That’s why we focus on treating the root cause, not just masking the symptoms.
While dry eye is a chronic condition, it’s highly treatable. Real, lasting relief begins with restoring a healthy, balanced tear film.
It sounds confusing — but watery eyes are often a sign of dry eye disease.
When the surface of your eye becomes dry and irritated, it sends an emergency signal to your brain. Your tear glands respond by producing a rush of reflex tears.
These emergency tears:
• Are mostly water
• Lack protective oil
• Do not stay on the eye
• Spill over onto your cheeks
They do not solve the problem — they are reacting to it.
Your eyes depend on a smooth, stable tear film made of three important layers:
OIL LAYER – Prevents tears from evaporating too quickly
WATER LAYER – Provides moisture and hydration
MUCIN LAYER – Helps tears spread evenly across the surface
┌──────────────────────────┐
│ OIL LAYER │
├──────────────────────────┤
│ WATER LAYER │
├──────────────────────────┤
│ MUCIN LAYER │
└──────────────────────────┘
EYE
When this system becomes unstable:
• Tears evaporate too quickly
• The surface becomes irritated
• Vision may blur
• Inflammation develops
• Reflex tearing begins
Your eyes depend on a smooth, stable tear film made of three important layers:
OIL LAYER – Prevents tears from evaporating too quickly
WATER LAYER – Provides moisture and hydration
MUCIN LAYER – Helps tears spread evenly across the surface
When this system becomes unstable:
• Tears evaporate too quickly
• The surface becomes irritated
• Vision may blur
• Inflammation develops
• Reflex tearing begins
Instead of just suppressing symptoms, we work to:
• Improve oil gland function
• Reduce inflammation
• Stabilize your tear film
• Protect the eye surface
• Improve tear quality
When your tear film becomes stable again — the watering improves.
• Watery eyes
• Burning or stinging
• Gritty or sandy sensation
• Blurry vision that clears when blinking
• Redness
• Heavy or tired eyelids
• Symptoms worse with screens or wind
