Dry Eye Information
Many people suffer from some degree of dry eye disease. If left untreated, this can become serious and affect your vision and ability to function comfortably throughout the day.
Phase 1
Hygiene
Bacteria can breed on the lid margin and between the lashes. Toxins are then released, which induces inflammation and irritation. It is important to clean the eyelids thoroughly morning and night. A gentle massage action helps stimulation the oil glands. It also helps with blood circulation and fluid retention to relieve thick, puffy eyelids. Ask us about Pure & Clean Lid Prep to add to your lid hygiene regimen.
Heat Therapy
The eyelid is lined with oil glands responsible for creating the most critical component in the tear film. However, poor diet and inflammation cause the oil to thicken and the glands to become dysfunctional and plugged. Inadequate oil levels within the tear film leads to unstable tears and premature evaporation, and subsequent burning and foggy/filmy vision. Daily heat therapy can help thin the oil and increase its flow into the tear film.
Neutraceuticals
Inflammation is often the driving force of dry eye disease. It has many secondary effects such as thickening of the oil and degradation of both the oil and water glands. Omega-3 fatty acids improve the function of the meibomian glands, which produce the oily layer of the tear film. Improved function of those glands will improve dry eye symptoms and vision stability.
Pharmaceuticals
Drops help to keep the tears on the eye’s surface to relieve the dry, burning, irritated sensation that is commonly experienced with dry eye disease.
Phase 2 → In-office Treatments
BlephEx
Over 50% of all patients suffer from some type of eyelid disease associated with insufficient eyelid hygiene. BlephEx is a procedure that allows us to clean your eyelid margins by removing the excess bacterial toxins, biofilm, and debris. With regular treatments, the eyelids will stay clean and symptom free.
Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT)
Developed by NASA, LLLT has proven effective at treating dry eye disease. The LLLT mask utilizes medical grade LED lights for light modulation that gently warm up the eyelids, causing the meibomian glands to unclog and release oils needed to keep the eyes healthy, moisturized, and comfortable. Low level light therapy also has other healing properties such as tissue regeneration and inflammation reduction. Treatment takes approximately 20 minutes.
iLux
Dry eye occurs when the eye doesn’t produced quality tears to protect the eye. The iLux is a device that directly treats the meibomian glands. The meibomian glands play a role in providing oil, or the lipid layer, to the tear film to help prevent the tears from evaporating prematurely. If the glands become clogged, the tear film becomes unstable and fragile, which leads to unstable vision. iLux allows us to look closely at the meibomian glands through a magnifying lens to see which glands need treatment. We then apply an LED light based heat to warm the glands. Once sufficiently warmed, we apply gentle pressure to express the oils out of the plugged glands to restore function. Treatment takes approximately 5-7 minutes.