DRY EYE TREATMENT
Overview of Dry Eye Disease:
Dry Eye Disease is a misnomer that includes many subtypes of the disease. The most common type of dry eyes occurs secondary to meibomian gland dysfunction causing evaporative dry eye disease. Thankfully we now have ways to image these glands and therapies that can repair their functionality. The meibomian Glands create and express the lipid that forms the lipid layer of the tear film. The tear film is made up of water, lipid (oil) and mucus. The oil layer is responsible for stabilizing the tear film and allowing for a comfortable feel and for a clear vision. When Meibomian glands are clogged and not working properly, patients can develop dry eye symptoms although these can vary immensely patient to patient and can also develop styes and eventually could develop irreversible loss of meibomian glands. Dr. Larissa Camejo has treated dry eyes all of her career as this condition is very prevalent in glaucoma patients. It can affect how the eye sees, feels, heals and tests. The tear film is critical to the optical power of the eye. It directly affects vision. When opening her own practice,Dr. Larissa Camejo prioritized having the best technology available to improve eye health overall and that included providing patients access to Lipiflow and IPL treatments for dry eye.
LIPIFLOW
Lipiflow treatment is a 12 minute office procedure that “unclogs” the meibomian glands, allowing for a better healthier eyelid margin and tear film. It is a drop free, pain free, safe treatment that consists of applying local heat via “applicators” and “automated massage” of the glands to unclog them and improve their oil production and delivery.
Intense Pulse Light Therapy. IPL is a well known therapy often use din dermatology and plastic surgery clinics. It’s use in dry eye disease is fairly new and has been shown to be highly effective. IPL is a pain free, drop free, safe treatment that consists of application of intense light to the skin area of cheeks and nose to decrease the delivery of inflammatory mediators to the eyelid margins where the meibomian glands are located. Dr. Camejo performs IPL in office. A complete treatment consists of 4 sessions, scheduled 1 m apart. Each session takes about 15 minutes. A yearly maintenance session is recommended
IPL – Intense Pulsed Light
Intense Pulsed Light, or IPL, is a dry eye treatment that addresses the root cause of most dry eye issues: meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). For patients with this condition, the meibomian glands are blocked, damaged, or do not function properly, which results in a decrease in oil production and eventually dry eye symptoms. A 2012 study published in the journal Cornea showed that 86% of study participants with dry eye also had symptoms of MGD.
IPL uses short but powerful bursts of light of a specific wavelength to gently heat the skin around the meibomian glands, which in turn, melts any obstructions present in the glands. With the removal of any obstructions, the glands gain increased oil production that results in healthy tears.
Introduced in 1994, IPL was initially used by dermatologists as a skin treatment for the effects of photoaging.
