Information
Dr. Joseph Santamaria, MD is a board-certified comprehensive ophthalmologist serving patients in Marble Falls and the Texas Hill Country. He graduated summa cum laude from Loyola Marymount University and earned his medical degree from Rush Medical College. Dr. Santamaria completed his ophthalmology residency through the San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium and served as Chief of Comprehensive Ophthalmology in the United States Air Force. While attending and teaching in the Air Force, he developed a special interest in cataract surgery, drawn to how a precise, targeted, and remarkably safe procedure can restore vision and dramatically improve quality of life. He serves as Assistant Professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences and Adjunct Assistant Professor at Texas A&M College of Medicine, and is known for combining technical excellence with thoughtful, patient-centered care in the ambulatory surgery setting.
Services Provided
Cataract Removal
Astigmatism Correction
Refractive Lens Exchange
Premium Lens Replacement
Light Adjustable Lens Implant
Minimally Invasive Glaucoma Surgery
Pterygia Surgery
Superficial Keratectomy
Eyelid Lesion Excision
FAQs
Dry eye syndrome is a common condition, but treatment isn’t always simple. While most people find adequate relief with at home methods, some cases require treatment from an ophthalmologist. If you’re dealing with dry eyes, read on to learn what you can do and when it’s time to go to a doctor.
Dry eye syndrome, also called dry eye disease or keratoconjunctivitis sicca (KCS), is what happens when your tear ducts aren’t able to produce enough lubrication for your eye. This causes disruptions to the tear film over your eye that protects it. Persistent dry eyes can cause discomfort, itching, watering, blurred vision, and even damage in extreme cases.
There are a number of environmental or lifestyle factors that can cause dry eyes. Dry eyes are a concern for those who live in areas with a lot of dust or pollen in the air. People who spend prolonged periods looking at screens or reading are also at risk because we tend to blink less when focusing. Dry eyes can also be a symptom of an underlying condition such as Sjögren’s syndrome or thyroid eye disease.
Many people experience dry eyes regularly, so knowing when you should talk to a doctor about it can be difficult.
If you’ve been using artificial tears and doing dry warm compresses on your eyes for a few weeks but you’re not finding relief, then you should consider talking to your primary care doctor or an ophthalmologist.
Dr. Joseph Santamaria, an ophthalmologist and surgeon based in Marble Falls, Texas, tells his patients to look at dry eye treatment like a ladder. The first rung on the ladder is using over the counter products to try treating it at home.
If your dry eyes are causing mild discomfort but you can still go about your day normally, you can try to treat it at home for a few weeks. Using over the counter artificial tears twice a day and daily dry warm compresses can usually provide sufficient relief for those with mild symptoms. You can find artificial tears and masks in the eye care section at most pharmacies.
If you don’t find relief from climbing the first rung, then you continue moving up. When over the counter treatments don’t work, Dr. Santamaria typically gives his patients prescription eye drops or punctal plugs, small plugs that are placed into the tear duct to block drainage. Patients shouldn’t even feel the plug when they are inserted, and they dissolve in around 6 months.
For cases that need more intensive care, Dr. Santamaria may also recommend serum tears, which are drops main from serum extracted from your own blood. There are also contact lenses made of fluid extracted from donor placenta typically used to treat ocular burns.
For even more information, watch the Best Practice Podcast episode on dry eyes with Dr. Santamaria.