What Is Dry Eye?
Many people suffer from dry, scratchy eyes. Dry eye disease is a common, chronic eye problem. The symptoms can significantly impact your daily life. You may have trouble concentrating or experience blurry vision, light sensitivity, and eye irritation. When untreated, it can increase the risk of eye infections and tissue scarring, resulting in impaired vision.
Dry eye happens when your eyes cannot produce the tears needed to wet, nourish, and clean the eye. The most common form of dry eye is related to evaporative dry eye or meibomian gland dysfunction. When tear glands are blocked or missing components, tears evaporate too quickly.
OptiLight by Lumenis is a treatment available at Advanced Eye Center to help treat dry eye caused by poor tear quality.
What Is OptiLight by Lumenis?
OptiLight by Lumenis is a light-based, non-invasive treatment done in the area below the eyes to manage dry eye. The first and only IPL FDA-approved for dry eye management.
The treatment is safe, gentle, and is backed by more than 20 clinical studies.
How Does It Work?
OptiLight uses precise pulses of light to reduce the inflammation that is typically associated with dry eye disease, improve tear break-up time, and increase meibomian gland functionality.
This application can significantly relieve dry eye indicators and has a multi-factorial effect, including:
- Increasing tear break-up time
- Reducing the amount of demodex mites and bacteria living around your eyes
- Eliminating blood vessels that contribute to inflammation
- Improving meibomian gland functionality
What to Expect?
Before
Before your IPL treatment, we will go over all the steps you need to know to prepare.
This includes:
- Avoiding sun exposure and tanning beds for 4 weeks before to your treatment
- Avoiding sun tanning lotions for 2 weeks before your treatment
IPL uses light therapy to help treat your dry eye symptoms. However, for the treatment to be effective—and to protect your skin—we need to ensure you aren’t overexposed to UV light leading up to your appointment.
During
When you arrive for your treatment, our friendly team will greet you to review information, go over any paperwork, and answer your questions. Then, you will be led to a treatment room.
Before the procedure begins, we clean your eyes and skin. Next, we will provide eye protection and apply the coupling gel over the treatment area.
You may experience a warm sensation as light penetrates your skin and the glands beneath. The process is quick and causes minimal discomfort, taking about 10–15 minutes from start to finish.
Following the IPL treatment, we will clean off the gel and remove the eye shields. We may also perform meibomian gland expression or LipiFlow to amplify the effectiveness of your treatment. Finally, we will apply sunblock over the treatment area to protect your skin.
After
After your OptiLight appointment, you can return to your daily activities. In most cases, you can apply makeup immediately after.
Some patients can experience redness or a mild sunburn sensation for a few hours after treatment. Avoid rubbing or scratching the area, and clean your skin with lukewarm (not hot) water for a few days.
Avoid sun exposure or tanning within the first 48 hours after your treatment. Practice sun safety (such as sunscreen and sunglasses) to protect your skin and eyes!
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:
- Suffer from aqueous deficiency dry eye (rather than evaporative dry eye or meibomian gland dysfunction)
- Have a history of keloid scarring
- Have severe scarring around your eyes
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.
Book Your Consultation
You deserve relief from dry eye. Our optometrists can help with a tailor-made plan for you and your eye health. Find out if OptiLight can benefit you by visiting Advanced Eye Center for a dry eye consultation. Book an appointment today!
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