Real Treatment.
Real Relief.

Dry eye disease has a root cause — and at Lighthouse Vision, we treat it. Using a comprehensive suite of advanced therapies, we restore your meibomian glands, reduce inflammation, and rebuild a healthy tear film that lasts.

9+ Treatment
Modalities

60 min Comprehensive
Evaluation

17+ Oculus 5M
Diagnostic Tests

IPL + RF Advanced
Energy Therapies

Insurance Accepted for
Medical Visits

The root cause

Most dry eye is caused by
blocked glands, not a lack of tears.

The most common form of dry eye is Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) — the tiny oil-producing glands along your eyelid margins become clogged, damaged, or inflamed. Without this protective oil layer, your tears evaporate too quickly and your eyes cannot maintain a stable, comfortable surface.

Dry eye is also driven by chronic inflammation, hormonal changes, systemic conditions like Sjogren’s syndrome and rosacea, and neurological factors. Understanding the specific mechanism in each patient is why we begin every treatment relationship with a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation — not a one-size-fits-all approach.

Common Symptoms

  • Burning, stinging, or gritty sensation

  • Light sensitivity (photophobia)

  • Blurred vision that fluctuates with blinking

  • Eye fatigue — especially with screens or reading

  • Redness or persistent irritation

  • Contact lens intolerance or dropout

  • Watery eyes (reflex tearing in response to dryness)

  • Difficulty in wind, low humidity, or air conditioning

MGD

is responsible for up to 86% of all dry eye disease

Your first visit

A Comprehensive Dry Eye Evaluation

Every patient begins with a dedicated 60-minute dry eye evaluation — one of the most thorough ocular surface assessments available in Connecticut.
We use objective, reproducible testing to identify exactly what type of dry eye you have and which structures are involved before recommending any treatment.

Powered by

Oculus 5M Keratograph

Our evaluation is anchored by the Oculus 5M — one of the most advanced ocular surface diagnostic platforms in clinical optometry. The Oculus 5M performs over 17 distinct measurements in a single, non-invasive session, giving us objective, reproducible data on every dimension of your tear film and meibomian gland health. No guesswork. No subjective estimates. Your treatment plan is built entirely on what the data shows.

17+

Diagnostic
Measurements

Meibography

Infrared imaging of your meibomian glands reveals their structure, identifies gland dropout (permanent loss), and maps the pattern of dysfunction — guiding which treatments will be most effective for your anatomy.

Non-Invasive Tear
Break-Up Time (NIBUT)

Measures how quickly your tear film destabilizes between blinks — objectively quantifying tear film stability and distinguishing evaporative from aqueous-deficient dry eye without any dye or contact.

Tear Meniscus Height

Precise measurement of the tear reservoir along the lower lid margin. A reduced meniscus height is a direct indicator of aqueous tear deficiency and lacrimal gland underperformance.

Bulbar & Limbal
Redness Grading

Objective, automated grading of conjunctival and limbal redness — removing subjective interpretation and providing a reproducible baseline to measure treatment-driven improvement in inflammation.

Slit Lamp & Vital
Dye Examination

Detailed examination of the cornea, conjunctiva, and eyelid margins using fluorescein and lissamine green dyes to detect staining patterns, surface damage, Demodex signs, and lid margin disease.

Diagnostic Meibomian
Gland Expression

Manual assessment of meibum quality and expressibility — from clear liquid to cloudy paste to solid toothpaste — grades the degree of gland obstruction and determines the priority of gland-opening therapy.

Diagnostic Eyelid
Debridement

Controlled removal of eyelid margin debris, biofilm, and collarettes under magnification — both assessing the degree of anterior lid disease and improving gland visibility and accessibility for subsequent imaging.

Corneal Sensitivity
Testing

Assessment of corneal nerve function using an esthesiometer — identifying reduced sensation associated with neurotrophic keratitis, diabetic corneal neuropathy, or post-surgical nerve damage that alters the dry eye picture.

Eyelid Seal Patency
& Lagophthalmos

Evaluation of whether the eyelids fully close during blinking and sleep. Nocturnal lagophthalmos (incomplete closure) causes exposure keratopathy and severely worsens dry eye — it must be identified and addressed in the treatment plan.

SPEED Symptom
Questionnaire

A validated symptom severity questionnaire completed at every visit. Tracks your subjective experience over time and serves as the patient-reported outcome measure for your entire treatment series.

Comprehensive
Clinical History

A thorough review of your medications, systemic conditions, hormonal status, contact lens history, occupation, environment, and prior treatments — because the cause of your dry eye shapes every aspect of the treatment plan.

Is this you?

Who Should Schedule a Dry Eye Evaluation

Dry eye disease is significantly underdiagnosed. Many patients have been told their eyes look fine, or have been managing symptoms on their own for years. If any of the following describe you, a comprehensive evaluation is warranted.

Chronic eye
discomfort

You experience persistent burning, stinging, or discomfort that hasn't improved with drops or home remedies.

Contact lens
intolerance or dropout

you gave up on lenses because they became uncomfortable

Screen-related
eye fatigue

difficulty working on computers, phones, or reading for extended periods

Rosacea or
seborrheic dermatitis

these conditions drive MGD even when eye symptoms seem mild

Perimenopausal or
postmenopausal women

androgen decline is a primary driver of meibomian gland dysfunction

Sjogren’s syndrome,
rheumatoid arthritis, or lupus

inflammatory conditions with high dry eye prevalence

Diabetes

corneal sensory neuropathy and autonomic dysfunction both impair the tear-producing surface

Thyroid eye disease
or Graves’ disease

exposure keratopathy from lid changes requires targeted surface management

Prior LASIK, cataract,
or refractive surgery

surgical procedures frequently worsen underlying dry eye

Long-term oral contraceptive or
anti-androgen medication use

hormonal effects on meibomian gland secretion

Light sensitivity or
fluctuating vision

common signs of tear film instability from untreated MGD

Planning cataract
surgery

optimizing the ocular surface before surgery improves biometry accuracy and outcomes

Your eyes deserve more than managing symptoms.

Schedule a comprehensive dry eye evaluation with Dr. Dincher. We’ll identify what’s driving
your dry eye and build a treatment plan around the actual cause.