What is Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL)?
IPL is an in-office procedure that uses gentle pulses of light to treat the underlying causes of dry eye. One of the most common cause of dry eye is meibomian gland dysfunction. Without an adequate oil layer, tears will quickly evaporate leading to dry eye symptoms. Inflammation is a root cause of meibomian gland dysfunction which can lead to a life time of dry eye symptoms.
How does IPL Treat dry eyes?
IPL uses light energy to stop blood vessels (that is responsible for inflammation) in its track. As a result, inflammation is reduced and the meibomian glands function better to produce good quality oil.
What can I expect from New Optix IPL Program?
4 Sessions of IPL usually spaced 2-4 weeks apart will be performed in our relaxing dry eye spa setting. Four treatments ensures long-term success in treating chronic dry eyes due to meibomian gland dysfunction. The program includes other dry eye therapies (commerical grade warm compresses and meibomian gland expression) to help maximize the effectiveness of IPL. Patients will usually notice an improvement in dry eye symptoms following their first or second treatment.
Dry Eye Consultation
During the dry eye consultation, the doctor will have you fill out a questionnaire along with doing a variety of dry eye test to help determine the root cause of your dry eyes. One of the test involves imaging the morphology of your meibomian glands to see if they are healthy.