Meibomian Gland Probing - A Cure for Dry Eyes?
Eliminate Fibrotic (Scar) Tissue within Meibomian Glands (MGP meets MGD)
What Is OptiLight by Lumenis & How Can It Manage Your Dry Eye?
Dry eye disease is a widespread and common issue for up to 49 million Americans. This chronic condition can have a significant impact on patients’ quality of life, causing a variety of ocular symptoms (such as foreign body sensation, pain, blurry vision, and dry or watery eyes). If left untreated, it can even lead to further eye health complications.
Despite these ongoing symptoms, many dry eye patients are not aware that they’re suffering from dry eye disease or that modern treatments exist.
At Beverly Hills Optometry, we offer numerous strategies to help you find the relief you need. One of the latest FDA approved treatment options is OptiLight by Lumenis. OptiLight is an innovative, non-invasive intense pulsed-light (IPL) treatment that targets meibomian gland blockages often associated with dry eye disease.
What Is OptiLight by Lumenis?
OptiLight by Lumenis is a light-based, non-invasive procedure performed in-office by a doctor. OptiLight is the first and only IPL device FDA-approved for the management of dry eye.
The treatment is safe, gentle, and is backed by more than 40 peer reviewed papers.
How Does It Work?
OptiLight uses precise pulses of light to reduce the inflammation that is typically associated with dry eye disease, improves tear break-up time, and increases meibomian gland functionality.
This application can significantly relieve dry eye indicators and has a multi-factorial effect, including:
What to Expect
Before Your Treatment
Before we can recommend a dry eye treatment, our first step is to examine your eyes thoroughly to determine what may be causing your uncomfortable, irritating symptoms.
We design our process to be as thorough as possible, utilizing several different methods that examine your eye health, comfort, and the structures responsible for producing and stabilizing your tear film.
These methods include:
There is no downtime and minimal preparation is needed. Before your OptiLight appointment, we’ll ask you to remove contact lenses and eye makeup during the procedure.
Patients should expect each OptiLight treatment session to last approximately 30 minutes. Four sessions between 2–6 weeks apart is ideally recommended. Some advanced or more severe patients often benefit initially from 4–8 sessions. We are able to treat the face and/or the eyelids. Manual expression is often performed at 1 or more of the IPL visits.
During Your Treatment
This treatment is fast and simple. During the treatment your doctor will apply a coupling gel on the treatment area and cover your eyes with either IPl pads or corneal shields.
As light is applied to the skin, you may experience a warm sensation. The treatment is gentle with minimum discomfort. The light therapy itself will only take about 5 minutes.
Following one or more of your IPL sessions, your doctor may manually express your meibomian glands. If the glands are blocked or clogged , then we may recommend other advanced heat treatments such as Lipiflow, iLux, or TearCare during the same visit.
After Your Treatment
There is minimal to no downtime after your IPL treatment.
In fact, most patients are able to wear their contact lenses, drive, work, and wear makeup almost immediately after their session. However, we commonly ask patients to avoid direct sunlight and wear sunscreen for a few days.
You may experience temporary redness after your treatment, but this subsides within an hour.
Part of Your Custom Treatment Plan
A course of treatment typically includes 4 sessions spaced 2–6 weeks apart. If you have more severe symptoms, we may recommend 4–8 sessions.
We also offer a variety of other office-based therapeutics and strategies for treating or managing dry eye, some of which we may use in conjunction with your IPL treatment. These include:
Will the OptiLight by Lumenis Work for Me?
While OptiLight by Lumenis is an effective dry eye management solution, we want to make sure it’s right for you. We do not recommend this treatment if you:
Ultimately, your doctor is the only person who can determine whether this option is right for you. During your next appointment, ask us if you are a good candidate for OptiLight by Lumenis.
You Don’t Have to Live With Dry Eye Anymore
Dry, irritated eyes can be managed with a new treatment that brings comfort and can restore quality of life. Schedule a consult to get an accurate diagnosis and a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
