Watch Dr. Coad on CBS and Fox TV treat Dry Eye Syndrome with IPL!
Watch Dr. Eviatar treat Dry Eye Syndrome with IPL.
Treatment Options for Dry Eye include:
Environmental Changes:
Don’t sit directly in front of a heating or air conditioning vent at home or at work.
In the car, make sure vents are not aimed directly into your face.
Avoid using hair dryers, or at least shield your eyes when using one.
If you smoke, consider quitting because smoking aggravates dry eyes.
Over-the-counter Eye Drops:
Artificial tears can be purchased without a prescription in any supermarket or drug store.
They can be used frequently to maintain constant moisture throughout the day.
Artificial tears in multi-dose bottles contain preservatives and some people can develop allergies to the preservatives. Single-dose preservative-free vials do not contain preservatives.
Avoid anything that “gets the red out”, because those products contain medications that can make your eyes worse instead of better.
Punctal Plugs:
Our doctors can put a small plug in the tear duct punctum (the drain located in the corner of each eyelid) to conserve tears by preventing them from draining away.
This procedure can be done in our office in just a minute or two, is painless, and if you don’t like them, can be removed.
Prescription Medications:
A prescription medication, cyclosporine called RESTASIS® is now available to help relieve dry eye symptoms. It helps your tear glands to produce better tears.
Omega 3, (HydroEye, Flax Seed/Fish Oil):
Support proper tear secretion and a healthy tear film by including a regular dose of these essential nutrients in your diet.
Intense Pulse Light Therapy:
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy improves dry eye symptoms and actually improves the meibomian gland’s function in the eye.
IPL is applied below the eyelash margin. The light acts as a powerful warm compress to liquefy the secretions plugging up the oil-secreting meibomian glands. Additionally, the IPL closes the vascular structures that feed inflammatory mediators to the gland and improves the pumping mechanism. When the function of the meibomian gland improves, recurrent blepharitis (inflammation of the margins of the eyelids) improves.
Patients are instructed to apply sun block and avoid sun exposure for one week. Some may experience some mild redness of the skin which normally goes away in a few hours.
IPL therapy is recommended for four to six treatments spaced one month apart. Greater than 90% of patients treated with IPL for dry eye disease have had a successful outcome and an added benefit is beautiful healthy looking skin.
