Posted by: Dr. Ramsarat in Dry Eye, LipiFlow
Dry eyes can be uncomfortable and destructive to your vision and eye health. Fortunately, improvement in technology has come up with a way to deal with the root cause of dry eye disease to give you long-lasting relief. LipiFlow® treatment has proven effective in dry eye treatment.
What Is LipiFlow?
LipiFlow is an FDA-approved groundbreaking technology. It treats dry eye disease that results from meibomian gland dysfunction. The LipiFlow device helps remove blockages from the meibomian glands.
After the treatment, your meibomian glands start working. They produce the oils needed to maintain high-quality tears to avoid the quick evaporation of tears. Thus, your overall eye surface health improves.
LipiFlow improves visual clarity in addition to relieving dry eye symptoms. You can achieve optimal results after six to eight weeks of the treatment. After, your relief can last for an entire year. The treatment does not have any downtime. You can resume your usual activities soon after the procedure.
Candidates For LipiFlow
Your optometrist will conduct a series of dry eye tests to find the root cause of your dry eyes. But to receive a LipiFlow treatment, you must meet a particular criterion. Your eye doctor must diagnose you with dry eye after properly examining your eye condition. Your dry eyes ought to be caused by meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) for you to get LipiFlow treatment.
How LipiFlow Works
Your specialist will place anesthetic eye drops into your eyes before the procedure. Once your eyes become fully numb, they will use LipiFlow sterile single-use activators over and under your eyelids. They will do so without touching your eye surface. Once in place, the treatment will take around 12 minutes.
The activators will exert constant pressure during the first two minutes of the procedure. They will do so as they warm up to the temperature that will dissolve the blockages in the meibomian glands. The activators will continuously cycle through different pressure levels for around 10 minutes. As they do, they will cause the natural oil to flow through the massage it will provide.
LipiFlow As Dry Eye Treatment
The most common cause of dry eye disease is meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). The meibomian glands line the edge of the eyelids close to the lashes. The upper eyelids have about 25 to 40 of them, while the lower ones have 20 to 30. They secrete the oil necessary to coat your tear film and eyes and keep your tears from evaporating quickly.
The common symptoms of meibomian gland dysfunction include:
- Eye dryness.
- A sensation like you have a foreign body in your eyes.
- Itching.
- Light sensitivity.
- Burning.
- Styes.
- Watery eyes.
- Crusty discharge.
- Blurred vision.
LipiFlow treatment addresses the obstruction directly. It provides gentle and warm heat to the eyelids while offering gentle massages. As a result, the blockages in the meibomian glands are removed, and they secrete the blocked oil.
Your meibomian glands resume their natural oil production for your tear film after LipiFlow treatment. As a result, your tears do not evaporate quickly when your tear film has a sufficient oil layer. Hence, your eye surface remains healthy.
LipiFlow Treatment Improves The Quality Of Life
Treating the cause of your dry eyes is better than managing its symptoms. You can effectively reduce or eliminate your dry eye problem through LipiFlow treatment. It is an easy and quick procedure.
Most patients notice improvement after a few weeks. Most feel better immediately after the procedure. Improve your daily life through LipiFlow to enjoy improved vision and comfort.
For more about LipiFlow, visit Dr. Veronica Ramsarat OD at our office in New York, New York. Call (833) 255-0096 to book an appointment today.
