May 15, 2026

Dry eye symptoms can be frustrating, especially when they keep coming back despite using eye drops. Burning, watering, redness, blurry vision, and a gritty feeling can all point to an underlying issue with your tear film or eyelid glands. At East Main Vision Clinic in Puyallup, we perform detailed dry eye exams to find the cause of your discomfort and recommend care that helps you feel better day to day.

Why Dry Eye Needs a Detailed Exam

Dry eye syndrome is not always as simple as not making enough tears. Many patients have issues with tear quality, tear evaporation, inflammation, or Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, also known as MGD. MGD happens when the oil glands in the eyelids are not working properly, causing tears to evaporate too quickly. A detailed dry eye exam allows Dr. Day to look beyond the symptoms and determine what is affecting your tear film, eyelids, and overall eye comfort.

What Happens During a Dry Eye Exam?

During a dry eye evaluation in Puyallup, Dr. Day and a technician will ask about your symptoms, lifestyle, screen use, medications, health history, and contact lens wear. This helps identify patterns that may be contributing to dryness, irritation, watery eyes, or fluctuating vision.

Your exam may also include advanced diagnostic testing with Oculus 5M Imaging to take a closer look at your tear film, eyelids, and meibomian glands. This may involve:
 

• Evaluation of eyelids and blinking to see how well your lids spread tears across the eye

• Conjunctiva and lipid layer imaging to assess tear quality and oil layer function

• Tear breakup time and pattern imaging to see how quickly your tears evaporate

• Meibography to evaluate the structure and health of the meibomian glands

These details help us determine whether Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, inflammation, tear instability, or another factor is contributing to your dry eye symptoms. From there, your treatment plan can be tailored to the severity and cause of your dry eye syndrome.

Creating a Personalized Treatment Plan

After your dry eye exam, Dr. Day will explain what is causing your symptoms and recommend treatment based on your specific needs. Depending on your diagnosis, your plan may include ZEST for gentle eyelid exfoliation, iLux or LipiFlow to help clear blocked meibomian glands, or IPL therapy to reduce inflammation and support healthier tear production. The goal is to improve comfort, support clearer vision, and help protect the long-term health of your eyes.

Find Out What’s Behind Your Dry Eye Symptoms

You should schedule a dry eye exam if you frequently experience burning, stinging, redness, watery eyes, light sensitivity, blurry vision, or the feeling that something is stuck in your eye. These symptoms can affect your comfort and may worsen without proper care.

If dry eye symptoms are interfering with your daily routine, schedule an eye exam with East Main Vision Clinic identify the cause of your discomfort. Visit our office in Puyallup, Washington, or call (253) 780-0700 to book an appointment today.