Vision Therapy in South Lake Union

Spotting the Signs of Dry Eye

(206) 420-7366
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 Urban Optix 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.


Dry Eyes in South Lake Union

Our optometry practice in South Lake Union

Photograph of Sean  Thoreby
Hours
  • Monday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
  • Tuesday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
  • Wednesday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
  • Thursday 8:30 am - 5:00 pm
  • Friday 8:30 am - 3:00 pm
  • Saturday Closed
  • Sunday Closed
Insurance Plans
  • VSP
  • Medicare
  • United Healthcare
  • Aetna
  • Anthem
  • EyeMed
  • Blue Cross
  • First Choice Health

Patient Reviews
4.5
175 Reviews
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- Apr. 30, 2024
Warm and friendly staff. Doctors are super patient with you, answer all your questions and also help... you understand your eye exam results.
- Apr. 11, 2024
Love this place. Staff is always so friendly and knowledgeable. Can't recommend enough
- Apr. 04, 2024
I had an appointment to get fitted for contact lenses for the first time and my experience was great... ! Everyone was so nice (Dr. Yu, Anna, and receptionist I didn’t catch the name of). They all took their time explaining everything I needed to know about contacts and were patient and helpful teaching me how to put them in and care for them. Thank you guys!
- Mar. 01, 2024
A great place for eye exams & purchasing frames and lenses. Great experience.
- Feb. 05, 2024
When I left my job, I didn't go to Urban Optix for a couple years. But I couldn't find a place that ... had the same service and vibe. This is such a sweet place. They are quick, fun, and have great taste. And they always ask about my dog/child. lol.
- Feb. 05, 2024
Great !!! Everything
- Jan. 21, 2024
I recently came to Urban Optix as a new patient and had an amazing experience! I scheduled my appoin... tment online, and had my annual exam with Dr. Lee. She is amazing, and so thorough and kind! She took her time to explain everything, and was extremely patient in answering all my questions—no matter how big or small. I love finding great doctors that actually care, and no doubt I’ve found a good one with Dr. Lee. I also wanted to give contacts a try after 10+ years of glasses, so we did it. Anna was training me and she was the kindest, most patient teacher ever. She was giving me love demos with her own contacts, and never once made me feel like a nuisance. It took me an hour to get them in, and after an hour of trying to get them out Dr. Lee had to help, lol. But that’s on me, they were doing nothing but being supportive and cheering me on. I’d also like to note that they are VERY transparent with pricing and what you’re going to be paying before you do anything at all. Not once did I feel like I didn’t know what was going on or what I was being charged for. Kudos to the team for being so thorough with all my insurance info and copays! All this to say, I had an amazing experience and will certainly be coming back as long as Dr. Lee is here!
- Jan. 06, 2024
Everyone is nice and professional!
- Dec. 30, 2023
Fantastic staff and Dr. Lee is amazing! Very knowledgeable and friendly!
- Dec. 29, 2023
I've been coming to Urban Optix for a few years and it's always been an excellent experience! Helpf... ul and knowledgable staff, never have to wait for my appointment, and Dr. Traci Lee is just amazing! Highly recommend this shop.
- Dec. 16, 2023
Great experience with the doctor and the staff.
- Nov. 27, 2023
Everyone here was awesome! So sweet and welcoming definitely recommend urban optix! Anna was really ... great to chat with while picking out my glasses
- Nov. 25, 2023
The entire staff is very customer service oriented. Dr. Thoreby is a great 👍 optometrist, explain... ed every step of the eye exam helping to learn how to take care of your eyes and always asked if you have any questions.
- Sep. 23, 2023
Great group of humans here. Very friendly, informative, and efficient!
- Sep. 14, 2023
Traci Lee is the very best. Such a professional, and extremely thorough.
- Jan. 13, 2023
I've been going to Dr. Traci and Urban Optix on and off since 2016 and they are great-easy to schedu... le, great location, updated technology, and a great selection of glasses. I had to use a different clinic for a few years due to poor coverage with my grad student insurance (although I've heard that UO's insurance policies have been updated and UW GAIP goes a lot further now), and I found UO to have much more modern and proactive eye medicine than the other place I tried. Their frames selection is the best I've ever seen and they have unique glasses (such as Masunaga) you cannot find anywhere else, the staff are experts on fit, lenses, etc, and the prices are very fair (even when I switched clinics, I always bought frames here). They've gone out of their way to order frames for me and work with me on payment options when I was a PhD student struggling to afford glasses. UO loyal!
- Jan. 09, 2023
i had such a great experience here (: dr lee is awesome. she was so helpful, and because my insuranc... e wasn’t going to cover the cost of my new glasses, she made sure i didn’t feel any pressure to buy some while i was there. i ended up getting a pair anyway and the person that helped me with the frames was so sweet. totally recommend this place! 💞
- Dec. 29, 2022
Urban Optix is the absolute best. I’ve been going for over 5 years now. Beyond the customer experi... ence, a full 5 starts. Dr. Lee and Dr. Thoreby are both outstanding. I’ve seen both of them over the past few years and they take the time to get to know me as a patient, my lifestyle, and concerns with my eye sight and health conditions. I’ve recommended them to folks around me, but finally getting to this long over due 5 star review! 🙂 See you in the new year!
- Nov. 21, 2022
Decided to get contacts and had my training with Gigi. She is super patient and supportive, and real... ly encouraged me to finish it. Also really appreciate Cathy for my first training. The eye exam was also very smooth with Dr. Sean and he is also very responsive regarding to my questions.
- Sep. 09, 2022
Dr. Lee is so attentive and answers all of my questions. Her staff is knowledgeable and welcoming, a... nd they have a great selection of glasses/sunglasses. I also love that her team helps me understand my insurance and what my plan covers. My eye exam finally doesn't feel like a chore!

View All 175 Reviews


man putting eye drops in eyes

Consult Our Dry Eye Experts

At Urban Optix, 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.

(206) 420-7366