A bright solution to your dry eyes
Insight Eye Surgery recognises that having dry eyes can be tough and frustrating. We have set up our Dry Eye Clinic to provide a range of treatments to improve your eyes' meibomian gland function to help your tears be the best they can be.
- Meibomian gland dysfunction is a common cause of dry eye disease
- Intense Pulsed Light treatment is quick, non-invasive and is performed on the skin around the eyes
- No-downtime
- Reduced dependency on dry eye drops
Patients can be referred by GP or Optometrist for Dry Eye treatment. Alternatively, as this is a private treatment, patients can come to us directly for Dry Eye treatment without a referral.
What are dry eyes?
Dry eyes are a very common condition which can range from mild to severe. If the tear film of the eye is disrupted, and / or if the cornea becomes less healthy due to poor or insufficient tears, then blurred vision and uncomfortable eyes can result.
There are many causes of dry eye, including age, blepharitis or meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), hormonal changes such as post menopause, medications, excess conjunctival tissue on the surface of the eye, auto-immune conditions e.g. Sjögren’s syndrome, or simply primary dry eyes with no cause identified.
When your eyes are dry you may experience: persistent eye “fatigue”, a pressure feeling behind the eyes, watering eyes, gritty eyes, itchy eyes, blurred vision and recurrent corneal infections or erosions.
Treatment for dry eye is rarely a “quick fix” and dry eyes are generally not cured but managed. With a holistic approach you can eventually have comfortable eyes and good vision again.
Artificial tears, also called lubricants or lubricating drops, are the mainstay of treatment and will work to both relieve your symptoms and also to improve the overall health of your tears.
Drink water. Remember that if you are dehydrated, your eyes will be as well. Make sure you drink plenty of water and avoid excessive tea and coffee.
Treat blepharitis/meibomian gland dysfunction – this will help improve the quality of your tears. Warm compresses and lid massage can help. Thorough removal of makeup is important. Take Omega-3 oil such as fish oil.
Control your environment. The environment around you plays a very important role in dry eye treatment. Wind, fans, cold air-conditioning and warm heating all have a drying effect, which means that you will have excessive evaporation of your tears.
Remember to blink regularly when doing extended periods of computer of other near tasks.
Treatment information
Insight Eye Surgery uses Intense Pulsed Light or "IPL" which is a non-invasive and innovative treatment for dry eyes. This type of technology can help produce long-lasting dry eye relief for our patients.
The IPL treatments are available individually or as a complete program to improve the surface of your eyes and reduce dependence on eye drops.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) is a non-invasive and innovative treatment for dry eyes. IPL is effective in treating patients who suffer dry eyes from Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).
The IPL device emits brief, controlled pulses of broad-spectrum light, the strength of which is precisely set to stimulate the meibomian glands in order for them to return to their normal function. IPL is found to help stimulate the production of the oils in the meibomian glands, which will produce a much more stable tear film. This will ultimately result in an improvement of dry eye symptoms.
It’s simple and fast. Following application of optical gel to the area of the face, and wearing protective goggles over the eyes, a series of 5 flashes is applied under each eye. Session treatments take less than 15 minutes.
The IPL stimulation leads to the meibomian glands returning to their normal function in a very short time following the treatment. The full success of the treatment depends on the compliance with a specific protocol: For optimal results we recommend 4 treatment sessions at 2-week intervals.
One of the most common causes of chronic dry eyes is Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), which can cause poor oil secretion. Oil helps stop rapid evaporation of the tears – so too little oil means the tear film protecting the eye becomes unstable and evaporates too quickly.
IPL is a dry eye treatment using regulated, polychromatic pulsed light (applied on the lower lid just above the cheeks) to stimulate the parasympathetic nerve connected to the meibomian glands, signaling it to regenerate, stimulate oil secretion, and stabilise the tear film.
As a result of the treatment, IPL is effective by:
– improving gland function
– unclogging glands
– preserving gland structure
– preventing gland atrophy
– reducing inflammation
– restoring tear quality
– offering relief from dry eyes
A clinical study with participants in France, New Zealand, and China demonstrated a 90% satisfaction rate after four sessions with reduced discomfort. Following these sessions, the perceived relief was sustained.
The improvement in symptoms is reported to last from 6 months to 3 years.
Please note:
Dry eye disease is complex and often involves the lacrimal glands, eyelids, and tear film. There are other causes of dry eye disease related to acute or chronic preexisting health conditions, hormonal changes, long-term medication use, and other health issues.
IPL treatment may be suitable for if you have persistent or chronic dry eye symptoms or other treatments, like eye drops, warm compress, etc, have not provided long-term relief.
IPL is not recommended for those that:
– have lupus
– have a darker skin tone (level 6)
– have a history of epilepsy
– take photosensitive medication
– are currently undergoing dermatological skin resurfacing treatments
Blephasteam and Blephex
Alongside IPL, Insight Eye Surgery uses Blephasteam and Blephex treatments. These treatments are available as part of the IPL program to improve the surface of your eyes and reduce dependence on eye drops.
Blephasteam is an in-office eyelid warming device used to relieve symptoms of meibomian gland dysfunction and associated diseases. The treatment involves wearing the Blephasteam googles for 15 mins, creating a ‘heat chamber’ environment which allows the solidified oils that are blocking the glands in the eyelids to soften.
By unblocking the meibomian glands, tear quality is improved, which in turn has positive benefits for eye health, vision and comfort.
It is recommended that this treatment is repeated 2-3 times, depending on the severity on the condition. These sessions will be 1 month apart for optimum ongoing maintenance. You will then have a follow up appointment 1 month after your final treatment.
BlephEx® involves a small spinning sponge being run along the edge of your eyelids and lashes. This process effectively removes built up bacteria and mites (Demodex), similar to a dental clean removing built up plaque.
The procedure lasts around 6-8 minutes and most patients report a tickling sensation.
It is difficult to effectively clean eyelid margins at home. BlephEx eliminates the causes of blepharitis, meaning the overall health of the eyelid is improved. Patients can produce more of the own tears, hence reducing the reliance on lubricating eye drops.
It is recommended that this combined treatment is repeated 2-3 times, depending on the severity on the condition. These sessions will be 1 month apart for optimum ongoing maintenance. You will then have a follow up appointment 1 month after your final treatment.
How do I book my IPL treatment?
To book your IPL sessions please contact us or call us directly on Brisbane: 07 3154 1515 or Noosa: 07 5345 5011.
How much does IPL cost?
Walk me through the IPL procedure:
- You rest comfortably on the treatment couch.
- Safety eye wear is provided for you to wear.
- Optical gel is applied generously along treatment areas (this includes the under eye, cheekbone, and into the temporal areas.
- A series of flashes will be given on each of your eyes during the session. Five flashes will be applied under the eye area (just above the cheeks) of each eye, starting from the nose to the temple.
- Once the treatment is complete, gel is cleaned off and your eye protection is removed. There is no recovery time needed.
It is recommended to wear sun protection (Ie. sunglasses, hat, and / or sunscreen) or avoid direct sunlight or tanning immediately after each session.
Further reading
There's lots of information available out there about Dry Eye Disease. We've made it easier for you by collating it into our own info sheet for download.
Download the info sheet: Dry eyes and meibomian gland dysfunction (PDF 655kb)
