Is the St. George Climate Causing Your Dry Eye Symptoms?

If your eyes often feel gritty, dry, or irritated in St. George, you’re not imagining it. Our local environment can be tough on the surface of the eye, and for many people, the climate acts like a constant “dry eye trigger.” At Paradise Canyon Eye Care, we see patients every week who think their symptoms are just allergies or “getting older,” when the real issue is dry eye disease made worse by heat, wind, low humidity, and dust.

Why Dry Eye Feels Worse in St. George

Dry eye happens when your eyes don’t produce enough quality tears or when tears evaporate too quickly. In St. George, multiple environmental factors can push your eyes toward evaporation and inflammation:
 

• Low humidity dries tears faster: Tears aren’t just water - they’re a layered film that protects your cornea. When humidity is low, the watery layer evaporates quickly, leaving the eye exposed and irritated.

• Wind and outdoor exposure increase evaporation: Wind speeds up tear evaporation, especially if you spend time outdoors hiking, golfing, biking, or driving with airflow hitting your face.

• Dust and desert particles irritate the ocular surface: Fine dust can destabilize the tear film and trigger inflammation. Even when you don’t “see” dust, your eyes can still react to it.

• Seasonal allergies can mimic (or worsen) dry eye: Itchy, watery eyes can still be dry eye. Allergy-related inflammation often overlaps with dry eye disease, and some over-the-counter allergy drops can make dryness worse if used incorrectly.

Common Dry Eye Symptoms That Climate Can Trigger

Dry eye doesn’t always feel like “dryness.” Many patients are surprised by how wide the symptom range can be, including:
 

• Burning or stinging

• Grittiness

• Stringy mucus

• Fluctuating or blurry vision that improves with blinking

• Eye redness

• Sensitivity to light

• Excess tearing

• Contact lens discomfort

If these symptoms ramp up after time outdoors, when you wake up, or after long screen sessions, St. George’s environment may be a major contributor.

Understanding the Real Issue for Many Patients

A huge percentage of dry eye cases are caused by meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). The meibomian glands (in your eyelids) produce oils that form the outer layer of your tears. That oil layer slows evaporation.

When those glands get clogged or inflamed, your tears evaporate too fast - especially in a dry, windy climate like ours. The result is often evaporative dry eye, and it tends to respond best to treatments that target lid inflammation and gland function (not just artificial tears).

Advanced Dry Eye Treatment Options at Paradise Canyon Eye Care

INMODE's Lumecca-i IPL

Lumecca Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment delivers targeted light energy to areas of the face, body, and delicate eye area, offering benefits for dry eye, inflammation, and pigmentation concerns. Light energy targets tiny inflammatory blood vessels just below the skin, reducing eyelid inflammation, rosacea, eyelash mites (demodex), and improving collagen synthesis, indirectly helping dry eye symptoms and associated discomfort.

IPL may help by:
 

• Reducing inflammatory signals around the eyelids

• Improving the quality and flow of the oils in your tear film

• Addressing lid margin issues that contribute to chronic irritation

• Supporting longer-lasting symptom relief compared to drops alone

INMODE's Forma-i RF

Forma-i is a non-invasive radiofrequency treatment to address dry eye symptoms caused by Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). A small and precise applicator delivers gentle heat to the delicate eye area, thereby targeting the underlying causes of meibomian gland dysfunction, such as gland blockages, and promoting improved blood circulation and gland function. The precise temperature melts the oil blockages in the glands, allowing the doctor to gently express and clear the glands.

Radiofrequency thermal energy also promotes a process called neocollagensis, or the growth and repair of collagen. This may help repair the meibomian glands, and results in smoother, tighter, and more youthful-looking skin. By stimulating gland activity and secretion, Forma-I radiofrequency treatment can help alleviate dry eye symptoms, including discomfort, blurred vision, and irritation, and improve the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, and bags.

RF may help by:
 

• Melting the clogged oils from the meibomian glands

• Improving the quality and flow of the oils in your tear film

• Providing a more stable tear film  

• Supporting longer-lasting symptom relief compared to drops alone

Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT)

Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT) is another advanced, comfortable in-office option that uses therapeutic light energy to gently warm and support the eyelid tissues.

LLLT is designed to:
 

• Encourage healthier gland function

• Improve meibomian gland secretion quality

• Support a more stable tear film

• Provide a soothing, non-invasive treatment experience

For patients with chronic MGD, LLLT can be a great complement to other therapies - especially when eyelid inflammation and gland congestion are contributing to symptoms.

Schedule a Dry Eye Evaluation in St. George

St. George’s climate can absolutely contribute to dry eye symptoms, especially if you’re prone to evaporative dry eye or meibomian gland dysfunction. With the right diagnosis and modern treatment options like Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy, Radio Frequency (RF) from INMODE  and Equinox Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT), many patients experience real improvement in comfort, clarity, and day-to-day quality of life.

Schedule a dry eye evaluation at Paradise Canyon Eye Care. We’ll identify what’s driving your symptoms and recommend a personalized plan to help you find long-term relief. Visit our office in St. George, Utah, or call (435) 291-5093 to book an appointment today. 

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