Dry Eye Specialists

Dry eye disease is an extremely prevalent condition that can get worse without proper treatment. At St. Johns Eye Associates, our highly skilled eye doctors offer personalized therapies for dry eye disease that can free you from its irritating symptoms for clear, comfortable vision.

Dry Eye Disease Treatment in San Marco, FL

What Is Dry Eye Disease?

There are two main types of dry eye — aqueous deficiency, or not enough tears, and evaporative, where your tears don’t have the right ratio of mucus, water, and oil. While there are many causes of dry eye, some prominent ones are meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), blepharitis, and medications you may be taking. Any one or more of these can contribute to your tears being deficient in volume or quality, making your eyes dry and uncomfortable.

Common symptoms of dry eye include:

  • Burning
  • Grittiness
  • Itching
  • Watery and Red Eyes

With our expertise and industry-leading diagnostics, we can determine the root cause of your dry eye and give you the proper treatment before it gets worse.

Why Choose SJEA for Dry Eye Treatment?

Dry Eye Treatment in St. Augustine, FL
Our optometrists are fully committed to helping you find and treat the source of your dry eye disease so you can live with better, more comfortable sight. We’ve invested in advanced technologies for dry eye disease, such as the TearScience® LipiView II® that analyzes your blink dynamics, tear film, and meibomian gland function to pinpoint the cause of your condition.

From there, our dry eye doctors will put together a care plan featuring advanced in-office treatments or at-home remedies, as well as lifestyle changes that can help you get immediate, lasting relief.

Order essential eye products from Dry Eye Rescue using our referral code “SJEA10” and instantly get 10% off — shop now!

Our Dry Eye Treatments

SJEA embraces cutting-edge dry eye disease therapies that consistently produce positive results for our patients struggling with its symptoms.

Intense Pulsed Light at SJEA in St. Augustine, FL

Intense Pulsed Light

IPL is a painless in-office procedure we use to treat MGD, a leading cause of dry eye where meibomian gland buildup prevents the proper flow of oil into your tears. During this treatment, your optometrist will use the IPL device to administer small bursts of light that gently warm your eyelids, releasing debris and reducing inflammation. This innovative procedure is painless, only lasts a few minutes, and allows patients to return immediately to their daily lives!

LipiFlow at SJEA in Nocatee, FL

LipiFlow®

The LipiFlow® Thermal Pulsation System is another in-office procedure we perform to help your meibomian glands adequately express oils to improve your tear quality. For this treatment, your eye doctor carefully applies an eye mask that delivers soft, pulsed pressure and heat to massage and warm your eyelids. This stimulates meibum production and oil flow to keep your eyes from drying out. LipiFlow® only takes about 12 minutes, and patients can get back to their normal activities the same day!

Medicated Eye Drops at SJEA in World Golf Village

Medicated Eye Drops

Our doctors may prescribe you specialty eyedrops such as RESTASIS®, Xiidra®, or prescription steroidal eye drops that can instantly soothe your gritty, burning, dry eyes. These solutions are designed to stimulate your eyes’ tear production to not only relieve your symptoms quickly, but keep your eyes moistened for longer.

Radiofrequency Treatment at SJEA in St. Augustine, FL

Radiofrequency Treatment

Radiofrequency (RF) treatment is another revolutionary way we’re able to treat your dry eye disease or MGD to improve your tear film. During this procedure, our optometrist uses a handheld device to apply RF energy to the eyelids, which generates heat that facilitates oil expression to unclog your meibomian glands. An added benefit of RF treatment for dry eye is that it reduces inflammation and improves the appearance of eye bags and fine lines, creating a rejuvenated look around the eyes!

BlephEx at SJEA in San Marco, FL

BlephEx®

Blepharitis, or inflammation of the eyelids, is a common cause of often resulting from poor eyelid hygiene. At SJEA, we offer BlephEx®, a special treatment to remove debris, oil, and dead skin causing your blepharitis. During this painless procedure, your eye doctor uses a patented spinning micro-sponge to safely clean and exfoliate your eyelids. Regular BlephEx® treatments promote eyelid cleanliness and improved gland function to prevent dry eyes.

Punctal Plugs at SJEA in Nocatee, FL

Punctal Plugs

If the cause of your dry eye disease is not enough tears, this could be in part because they are draining too quickly via the tear ducts. For this issue, your optometrist can carefully insert microscopic devices called punctal plugs into the opening of your tear ducts to act as a sort of drain stopper for your eye, allowing your eyes to stay hydrated for longer. These tiny inserts are painless, can be placed in just a few minutes, and produce results in as little as one week!

Intense Pulsed Light
Intense Pulsed Light at SJEA in St. Augustine, FL

Intense Pulsed Light

IPL is a painless in-office procedure we use to treat MGD, a leading cause of dry eye where meibomian gland buildup prevents the proper flow of oil into your tears. During this treatment, your optometrist will use the IPL device to administer small bursts of light that gently warm your eyelids, releasing debris and reducing inflammation. This innovative procedure is painless, only lasts a few minutes, and allows patients to return immediately to their daily lives!

LipiFlow<sup>®</sup>
LipiFlow at SJEA in Nocatee, FL

LipiFlow®

The LipiFlow® Thermal Pulsation System is another in-office procedure we perform to help your meibomian glands adequately express oils to improve your tear quality. For this treatment, your eye doctor carefully applies an eye mask that delivers soft, pulsed pressure and heat to massage and warm your eyelids. This stimulates meibum production and oil flow to keep your eyes from drying out. LipiFlow® only takes about 12 minutes, and patients can get back to their normal activities the same day!

Medicated Eye Drops
Medicated Eye Drops at SJEA in World Golf Village

Medicated Eye Drops

Our doctors may prescribe you specialty eyedrops such as RESTASIS®, Xiidra®, or prescription steroidal eye drops that can instantly soothe your gritty, burning, dry eyes. These solutions are designed to stimulate your eyes’ tear production to not only relieve your symptoms quickly, but keep your eyes moistened for longer.

Radiofrequency Treatment
Radiofrequency Treatment at SJEA in St. Augustine, FL

Radiofrequency Treatment

Radiofrequency (RF) treatment is another revolutionary way we’re able to treat your dry eye disease or MGD to improve your tear film. During this procedure, our optometrist uses a handheld device to apply RF energy to the eyelids, which generates heat that facilitates oil expression to unclog your meibomian glands. An added benefit of RF treatment for dry eye is that it reduces inflammation and improves the appearance of eye bags and fine lines, creating a rejuvenated look around the eyes!

BlephEx<sup>®</sup>
BlephEx at SJEA in San Marco, FL

BlephEx®

Blepharitis, or inflammation of the eyelids, is a common cause of often resulting from poor eyelid hygiene. At SJEA, we offer BlephEx®, a special treatment to remove debris, oil, and dead skin causing your blepharitis. During this painless procedure, your eye doctor uses a patented spinning micro-sponge to safely clean and exfoliate your eyelids. Regular BlephEx® treatments promote eyelid cleanliness and improved gland function to prevent dry eyes.

Punctal Plugs
Punctal Plugs at SJEA in Nocatee, FL

Punctal Plugs

If the cause of your dry eye disease is not enough tears, this could be in part because they are draining too quickly via the tear ducts. For this issue, your optometrist can carefully insert microscopic devices called punctal plugs into the opening of your tear ducts to act as a sort of drain stopper for your eye, allowing your eyes to stay hydrated for longer. These tiny inserts are painless, can be placed in just a few minutes, and produce results in as little as one week!

Dry Eye Supplements

Dry Eye Supplements at St Johns Eye Associates in St. Augustine, FL
At St. Johns Eye Associates, we believe in offering modern and advanced solutions to provide the best possible care to our patients. That’s why we are delighted to offer you top-quality supplements from Dry Eye Rescue at an exclusive 10% discount when you use our referral code SJEA10 on dryeyerescue.com. Our goal is to combine the power of Dry Eye Rescue supplements with our existing dry eye disease therapies to relieve your dry eye symptoms and improve your overall eye health.

With a unique blend of vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, and antioxidants, Dry Eye Rescue’s supplements are specially designed to nourish and hydrate your eyes, reducing discomfort and irritation. These carefully selected ingredients help promote tear production, enhance ocular lubrication, and support eye wellness. If you’re struggling with dry eye disease, we encourage you to schedule an appointment with one of our doctors today to see if Dry Eye Rescue’s supplements are the right solution for you.

Insurance & Financing with CareCredit®

We’re dedicated to making exemplary eye care accessible to everyone. We accept many insurances and enable all our patients to apply for financing with CareCredit® through us! You can contact us to learn more or get started on your forms here:

Our Success Stories

Our warm, caring staff at SJEA is proud to offer the industry’s top dry eye solutions. We’ll provide you the customized care you need to be free from the pain of dry eye disease. Check out what our patients are saying about how we’ve helped them through their dry eye struggles!

Darlene F.

“I had a wonderful experience at SJEA from the moment I walked through the door. I had accidentally noted my appointment on the wrong day, I didn’t realize until the associate went to check me in and notified me I was not on the schedule. I had taken the afternoon off of work to attend the appointment and was frustrated with myself as I would have to completely reschedule due to a conflict I had with the appointment I had scheduled for the next day. The associate was sympathetic and immediately checked to see if there was a potential opening in the schedule. To my delight, there was! My appointment was thorough, everyone was kind and professional and findings were clearly explained. Great selection of frames, spot on with style selection during the first presentation and great feedback. Overall exceptional experience.”

Jillian T.

“The staff is always friendly and I have never had to wait longer than 5 minutes to be seen. They listen and understand your problems and help find solutions. Dr. Phillips explained everything to me in layman’s terms so I could understand his thought process. They took the time to explain my benefits and let me know the cost each step of the way so I wasn’t shocked at the end with an unexpected bill. Additionally, the staff helped me pick out the best glasses for me and were so patient through my indecisiveness. They offer a two year scratch warranty on glasses purchased from them – which is amazing! Highly recommend this office!”

Derrick H.

“Great visit for my annual checkup. As usual the staff is very friendly and professional. Everything from my initial check in through all of the eye tests, the eye exam and selection of new glasses was done in a professional manner and expeditiously accomplished.”

Keisha H.

“Great visit. The office is always very clean and the staff is extremely friendly and professional. The make sure they answer all your questions and concerns and the processes they have in place helps keep their patients safe during these times.”

Dry Eye Disease Treatment Near You

Don’t wait any longer to start seeing clearly and comfortably — let us help you manage your dry eye for good. You deserve the most qualified dry eye specialists, superior technology, and personalized treatment for your condition, and that’s what you’ll get at SJEA!