Dry Eye Clinic in Vaughan & Woodbridge
Dry eye is one of the most common — and undertreated — conditions we see at Avalon Eye Care in Vaughan. Many patients live for years with burning, gritty, or watery eyes assuming it's "just allergies" or "part of aging." Dry eye is a diagnosable and treatable medical condition.
Symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome
- Burning or stinging sensation
- Gritty or scratchy feeling (like sand)
- Redness and irritation
- Blurry vision that improves after blinking
- Sensitivity to light
- Excessive watering or tearing (reflex tears)
- Difficulty wearing contact lenses
- Eye fatigue after screen time or reading
- Discomfort in air-conditioned or heated rooms
- Waking with sticky or uncomfortable eyes
Paradoxically, watery eyes are often a sign of dry eye — when the eye surface dries out, it triggers a flood of reflex tears that overflow. This is different from the steady lubrication your eyes actually need.
What Causes Dry Eye?
Screen Use & Digital Devices
When staring at screens, blink rate drops by up to 60% — less tear spreading, faster evaporation. A leading cause in all age groups.
Age & Hormonal Changes
Tear production decreases with age. Women experience a significant drop in tear quality around menopause — making post-menopausal women among the most affected group.
Medications
Many common medications reduce tear production — including antihistamines, antidepressants, blood pressure medications, and diuretics.
Environment & Contact Lens Wear
Air conditioning, heating, smoke, and prolonged contact lens wear all accelerate tear evaporation. Indoor environments are a major but overlooked contributor.
Dry Eye Treatments Available in Vaughan
- Preservative-free artificial tears — frequency and formulation tailored to your tear type
- Prescription eye drops — Restasis or Xiidra for chronic inflammatory dry eye
- Lid hygiene therapy — warm compresses and eyelid cleaning for meibomian gland dysfunction (the most common cause)
- Omega-3 supplements — proven to improve tear quality when taken consistently
- Neurolens — reduces screen-related eye strain which worsens dry eye; learn more
- Scleral contact lenses — for severe dry eye; learn about scleral lenses
Is Dry Eye Treatment Covered by OHIP?
Dry eye assessment and management is partially OHIP-covered for patients with qualifying conditions. Children under 20 and seniors 65+ have exams fully covered. Avalon Eye Care offers direct billing to most extended health plans.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dry eye syndrome occurs when your eyes don't produce enough tears, or when tears evaporate too quickly. It causes burning, gritty, watery, or blurry eyes and is one of the most common eye conditions in Canada. It is highly treatable when properly diagnosed.
When the eye surface dries out, it triggers a flood of reflex tears as an emergency response. These overflow tears are different from the consistent thin film your eye needs. Treating the underlying dryness usually eliminates the overflow tearing.
Most patients see improvement within 4–12 weeks. Prescription drops like Restasis can take 3–6 months for full effect. Lid hygiene therapy often provides relief within days to weeks. Your optometrist at Avalon Eye Care will monitor progress and adjust treatment as needed.
Yes — screen use is one of the most significant contributors. When focusing on a screen, blink rate drops by up to 60%, reducing tear spreading. The 20-20-20 rule helps: every 20 minutes, look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds. For persistent screen-related dry eye, prescription treatment may be needed.
Book Your Appointment
Vaughan & Woodbridge. OHIP & direct insurance billing.
Book Online 905-856-3937Location & Hours
200 Whitmore Rd, Unit #15
Woodbridge (Vaughan), ON L4L 7K4
| Mon/Wed/Fri | 10AM–6PM |
| Tue/Thu | 11AM–7PM |
| Saturday | 10AM–4PM |
Related Services
Electronic Use Linked to dry eyes in children
There might be another cost associated with children using smartphones besides a large monthly bill from the phone company — it could be causing kids to develop dry eye disease at an early age. Researchers evaluated risk factors for dry eye disease among schoolchildren who used video devices, including smartphones.
The amount of time children spent using smartphones was longer in the Dry Eye group, compared with children without dry eye. After the children with dry eyes stopped using their smartphones for 4 weeks, both their subjective symptoms and objective signs of dry eye improved.
The only way to know for sure if you've got chronic dry eye syndrome is to have your eye doctor perform one or more dry eye tests during an eye exam. Symptoms alone are poor predictors of the presence and severity of dry eye disease. Symptoms can vary significantly from person to person, and may even be affected by personality type.
