Dry Eye (IPL) therapy
Tired of regularly flooding your eyes with lubricating eyedrops? Feels like you have an eyelash in there but can’t find anything?
If you are experiencing either of these problems, you might be experiencing the symptoms of dry eyes.
Symptoms |
Watery eyes, from occasional to all the time. This may be for no apparent reason, or it happens during particular activities, such as when you are using the computer, or in particular environments such as in air-conditioning or in the wind |
Eyes appearing red, or feeling tired, sore or heavy |
Being unable to wear contact lenses because they are not comfortable or they do not provide consistently clear vision |
A feeling that there’s something in your eyes or that they sting or burn |
Eye pain, blurry vision and/or an inability to complete or continue tasks for as long as you would like, such as reading, watching TV or driving. |
Discomfort, blurring or fatigue when using computers or mobile devices. |
Dry Eye is when the eye does not make quality tears. This leads to more evaporation, friction and soreness. Left untreated, your eyes can feel worse.
What causes dry eyes?
Around twenty percent of dry eye occurs due to of a lack of aqueous (water) in the tears. This can be because of changes with age. Autoimmune conditions (such as Sjogrens Syndrome) target mucous surfaces in the body, such as dry eyes or dry mouth.
Dry eyes can also be caused by medications for depression, allergies, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Dry eyes is affected by hormones. Pregnancy, Thyroid issues and Menopause can also affect the eyes and cause dryness.
Other factors that can contribute to dry eyes are alcohol, dehydration, systemic disease such as diabetes and arthritis, nutritional deficiencies such as omega-3 and vitamin A, and incomplete blinking.
Environmental factors such as wind and air-conditioning, contact lens wear, and past laser refractive surgery and cataract surgery are other causes.
Computer users, distance drivers and others who do visually demanding tasks for long periods tend to suffer from dry eye as they subconsciously reduce their blinking rate, allowing the tear film to break up and causing dry patches to appear.
Oily Layer Dysfunction
By far the biggest cause of dry eye is poorly functioning or blocked Meibomian glands. The most common treatment in this case is to improve the functioning of the oil-producing Meibomian glands.
Intense Pulsed Light for Dry Eyes
Meibomian glands respond well to in-office Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL) and manual gland expression.
IPL uses brief powerful bursts of light at specific colours. These target blood vessels near the surface of the tear film. Blood vessels absorb heat, and the mechanism is similar to hot compression, enabling the pores of the glands to open up.
This application has resulted in improved symptoms such as less dryness, decreased use of lubricating eye drops, and reduction in redness and foreign body sensation.
Of course, it is common for more than one cause to exist at one time. Treatment plans for Dry Eye Syndrome are tailored to you.
A thorough eye and general health history needs to be performed as well as a comprehensive examination of the eyes, tear film and eye lids. This will allow for diagnosis and grading of the underlying causes.
Book an appointment with us to discuss a drug-free, drop-free solution/relief for your dry eyes.