Vision Therapy in Northeast Colorado Springs

Spotting the Signs of Dry Eye

(719) 632-2020

Understanding the Symptoms

Dry eye is a common condition that affects millions of people worldwide, and its symptoms can vary in severity. It's crucial to recognize the signs of dry eye early to seek appropriate treatment and improve your eye health and comfort.

man with sore eyes


Common Symptoms to Look Out For

woman with red eyes

Experiencing dry eye symptoms can greatly affect your daily life and overall health. These symptoms can disrupt your work, hobbies, and even your ability to carry out everyday tasks comfortably.

The constant discomfort and distraction caused by these symptoms can lower your productivity and overall quality of life. 

Here are common signs that may indicate dry eye syndrome:

  • Dryness:
    A persistent sensation of dryness, grittiness, or eye irritation.
  • Itching:
    Frequent itching or a burning sensation in and around the eyes.
  • Redness:
    Bloodshot or red eyes, often accompanied by discomfort.·
  • Excessive Tearing:
    Paradoxically, your eyes may produce more tears as a response to dryness, leading to watery eyes.
  • Blurry Vision:
    Vision may become temporarily blurred, particularly when reading or using digital screens.
  • Light Sensitivity:
    Increased sensitivity to light, known as photophobia.
  • Foreign Body Sensation:
    Feeling as though something is in your eye.
  • Eye Fatigue:
    Increased eye fatigue, especially during prolonged periods of reading, screen time, or other visually demanding tasks.

Ignoring dry eye symptoms can lead to worsening discomfort and potential complications. Chronic dry eye can damage the eye's surface and increase the risk of eye infections, scarring, and vision loss. Seeking professional guidance if you're experiencing any of these symptoms is crucial.


Dry Eye Diagnosis and Expert Care

When you choose ABBA Eye Care - Academy for your dry eye care, you benefit from our expertise in comprehensive diagnosis. We understand that your unique health history and lifestyle can affect your dry eye differently, which is why we practice personalized care tailored to you. Our approach includes:

  • In-Depth Eye Exams

    During a comprehensive eye exam, we evaluate your eyelids, eye surface, and your complete health history and lifestyle to identify potential underlying causes of dry eyes.

  • Tear Assessment

    We conduct a detailed assessment of your tears, measuring their volume and quality. This assessment helps us identify any deficiencies in tear quantity or quality, crucial factors in dry eye diagnosis.

  • Tear Breakup Time

    Using advanced techniques like tear breakup time measurement, we identify specific areas of your eyes where tears may evaporate more rapidly. This information aids in tailoring your treatment plan.

  • Specialized Dry Eye Test: Schirmer Test

    This test involves placing blotting test paper strips on the lower eyelids to measure tear production over a specific time. It helps determine the volume of tears your eyes produce.

Patient Reviews
4.6
466 Reviews
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- Oct. 07, 2025
Friendly staff. Prompt and professional service. I highly recommend it!
- Sep. 26, 2025
Great People, great Service
- Sep. 19, 2025
Wonderful! Dr. Ray is straightforward and kind and the staff is amazing! I didn’t know about a war... ranty I had and they helped me get a new pair of glasses when mine got scratched. Dr. Ray has been excellent. He doesn’t mind explaining things just a little bit more so you understand.
- Sep. 18, 2025
Very friendly and helpful staff
- Sep. 18, 2025
The staff is amazing! They helped me pick out frames they helped me get them ordered! I got my glass... es pretty quickly after! I love my new glasses! Keep up the awesome work! I would highly recommend ABBA Eye Care!
- Sep. 17, 2025
Everybody was very friendly, helpful and efficient. I had a great experience here, and I plan to buy... my next pair of glasses at this location.
- Sep. 16, 2025
Great service caring staff
- Sep. 16, 2025
Awesome
- Sep. 10, 2025
Dr. Ray took me on as a emergency appointment and made me feel at ease. His bedside manners were the... best I have ever experienced. I truly appreciate the kindness and the care he took. The rest of the team were kind and considerate, all around the best care I have received!
- Aug. 15, 2025
Great and friendly service
- Jul. 31, 2025
Every employee at this particular ABBA were professional and informative. Every member worked togeth... er as a team. The atmosphere was fun to be around. I left there feeling wonderful from the services and the time that were given to me!
- Jul. 10, 2025
Excellent staff! I was also told today by the Dr how I’ve been so wronged at many other places. Th... e whole staff was extremely helpful. 10/10 recommend!!
- Jul. 10, 2025
Professional, kind and sincere
- Jun. 26, 2025
Thank you to the people at this location and Cassie for taking care of me today.
- May. 09, 2025
Huge shout-out to Angela and Matt and team for being absolute lifesavers! Thank you for letting me ... vent, for your kindness, and for making it possible for my son to be seen at your office when we really needed to. You didn’t turn us away—you showed compassion, and that means more than words can say. Grateful beyond measure!
- Apr. 28, 2025
He was very patient and explain things on my level my glasses came within a short amount of time and... they were everything I wanted thank you ABBA I care
- Apr. 25, 2025
My son has been coming here for a few years. He is autistic and mostly non verbal. They have always ... shown patience and compassion when seeing him. They go out of the way to make sure he is comfortable and he gets the correct prescription. The staff go above and beyond. I highly recommend checking them out.
- Apr. 22, 2025
Dr Ray was very thorough and he went into great detail and explaining the anatomy of my eyes along w... ith my results. The staff was very friendly and upbeat!
- Mar. 26, 2025
Everyone in this Abba Eye Care is terrific. Great staff and very helpful and friendly!
- Mar. 06, 2025
Best optometry experience I've had. All of the staff members were super nice and knowledgable. Dr. R... ay was quick and to the point, explained things in a digestible way, and had a great sense of humor too. Reasonable pricing on select frames and lenses, very comparable to Zenni and EBD. All around a fantastic experience here.

View All 466 Reviews

Dry Eyes in Northeast Colorado Springs

Our optometry practice in Northeast Colorado Springs

Photograph of Michael  Ray
Hours
  • Monday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Tuesday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Thursday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm
  • Saturday Closed
  • Sunday Closed
Insurance Plans
  • VSP
  • Medicare
  • United Healthcare
  • Aetna
  • Spectera
  • Medicaid
  • Anthem
  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield
  • EyeMed
  • Blue Cross
  • MetLife

man putting eye drops in eyes

Consult Our Dry Eye Experts

At ABBA Eye Care - Academy, our experienced eye care specialists are ready to help you find relief from dry eye symptoms. We understand these symptoms' impact on your daily life and are committed to improving your eye health and comfort.

Contact us to schedule an appointment and discuss your dry eye symptoms. Let's work together to find the most suitable treatment and enhance your quality of life.

(719) 632-2020