BOSTON, Mass (American Health Newswire) -- It makes millions miserable.  Dry eye disease is caused by a variety of things and standard treatment usually means medications, daily eye drops, and ointments.  Now there's a new eye-opening option for sufferers and it only takes few minutes.

"I felt like I had a piece of glass in my eye," dry eye patient, Diana Galson-Kooy, told American Health.

Diana Galson-Kooy has suffered with dry eye disease for years.

"I've kind of gotten used to the pain," Galson-Kooy said.

It is caused by things like prolonged contact lens wear, birth control, anti-histamines, and even staring a screen.  

Evaporative dry eye affects the glands that make tears.

"Her tears that she's making are leaving her eyes much quicker than she should be," Dr. Ernest Kornmehl, MD, FACS, at Kornmehl Laser Eye Associates told American Health.

Dr.  Ernest Kornmehl says, like Diana, the majority of his patients come in for dry eye treatments. He is recommending this treatment for many.

"Perfect, you're doing wonderfully," Dr. Kornmehl said.

It is called LipiFLow.

"It takes 12 minutes and patients go to work immediately after the procedure," Dr. Kornmehl explained.

Cups surround the eyelids.  They heat up and pulsate to melt blockages in her tear glands.

"It doesn't hurt.  It just is strange," Galson-Kooy said.

In FDA trials, 79 percent of LipiFlow patients showed improvement.  The doctor says those improvements can last nine to 15 months.  Some LipiFlow patients, like Diana, will still need additional treatments.

"They find themselves not taking the drops or ointments as they were before," Dr. Kornmehl said.

Right after Diana's treatment, "my eyes feel lubricated," she said.

It has brought some much needed tears to her eyes.

"It was unbelievable," Diana explained.

LipiFlow is FDA approved, but it is not covered by insurance.  The cost per eye can range between 700 and 11 hundred dollars

Mind over body: Relaxing Your Way to a Healthy Heart

The Future of Colonoscopies

PALO ALTO, CA ( American Health Newswire) -- It's a test that can save lives, but a lot of people are afraid of getting it done...or uncomfortable about how the screening is performed.

For most people a colonoscopy is not something they look forward to, but now, new improved colonoscopies can detect and remove pre-cancerous polyps before they turn deadly.

"It's almost like a mushroom that grows inside the colon," Dr. George Triadafilopoulos, a Gastroenterologist affiliated with the Stanford School of Medicine told American Health.

This new LED camera fits through a regular colonoscopy catheter. Instead of just seeing what's ahead, it can also find hard to see polyps, hiding in folds.

"It's almost like having a rearview mirror in your car. As you drive forward, you can look through the mirror and see what's behind you, so you don't miss any spots," Dr. Triadafilopoulos explained.

Traditional colonoscopies miss 12 to 24 percent of polyps. This FDA approved camera improves detection rates by 25 percent.

Even less-invasive tests are now being studied. One doesn't require laxative preparation or sedation. CT scans locate possible lesions in fecal matter. The scans are run through the lab where pre-cancerous problems can be spotted.

And some patients are now trying out an at-home option. The new DNA test locates abnormalities in the patients stool. In a recent study, the test detected 87 percent of colorectal cancers in curable stages.

"You can cut it out before it ever becomes cancerous and so nobody has to die from colon cancer," Dr. Steven Geller of the Centennial Medical Group in Elkridge, MD told American Health.

Many cases of colon cancer have no symptoms. But if you do have abdominal pain, blood in your stool, diarrhea or weight loss for no unknown reasons, call you doctor to schedule a colonoscopy.

Source: MGH, Brigham and Women's hospital, North Shore Medical Center and the Veteran's Administration Medical Center at the University of California at San Francisco

www.exactsciences.com