Dry Eye

Dry eyes are a widely common eye condition that adversely affects your quality of life by making it difficult to read, use a light-emitting gadget like a computer or smartphone, or even drive at night times. One major cause of dry eyes is Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), a condition in which the oil glands (Meibomian Gland) in your eyelids don’t make enough oil to keep your tears from drying out too fast. Thankfully, with more resulted-oriented non-invasive methods, like Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy, dry eyes could be treated in a few sittings. To give us more insights into IPL therapy and how it manages such chronic eye disorders, we spoke to one of the best eye doctors in Patiala, Punjab. Dr Manpreet Singh has treated hundreds of dry eye patients at his super specialty eye hospital In Patiala. The hospital has a dedicated dry eye clinic laced with the best-in-class facilities and a range of treatments for dry eyes.

What is MGD's Role in Dry Eye Condition

Before looking into treatments, it’s important to know what MGD does to cause dry eye. “The oily part of your tears is made by glands called meibomian glands, which are in your eyes. The watery layer doesn’t evaporate too quickly because of this oil. The tear film becomes unsteady when these glands get clogged or make bad oil,”. says Dr. Manpreet Singh, Chief Clinician at Global Eye Hospital Patiala in Punjab. ‘Such a dysfunction in oil glands presents dry eye symptoms like itching, burning, and redness,’ adds Dr Manpreet Singh. . Since MGD is a leading cause of evaporative dry eye, effectively treating it is essential for long-term relief.

Traditional Treatment Approaches for Dry Eyes

For years, dry eye treatment focused on improving tear production and maintaining moisture. Some of the conventional treatments include:

Artificial Tears: Over-the-counter drops can temporarily relieve dryness, but they don’t address the underlying cause of MGD.
Warm Compresses: Applying warmth to the eyelids can help open blocked Meibomian glands, improving oil flow.
Omega-3 Supplements: Known to improve the quality of the oil in your tears, omega-3 supplements have been a go-to for dry eye sufferers.
Prescription Medications: Anti-inflammatory medications like cyclosporine or lifitegrast may reduce inflammation and help with tear production.

While these treatments offer some relief, they don’t always address the root cause of MGD effectively, which is where IPL therapy steps in.

Latest Dry Eye Treatment with Long-lasting IPL Therapy

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy has emerged as a revolutionary treatment for MGD. Initially used in dermatology to treat conditions like rosacea and skin discoloration, IPL therapy is now being applied to address the inflammation and dysfunction of the Meibomian glands.

How IPL Therapy Works for Dry Eye?

High-intensity light pulses are used in IPL therapy to target the skin around the eyes specifically. Heating the Meibomian glands helps these light bursts to liquefy and release trapped oils that obstruct the glands. Further enhancing gland function, IPL also shrinks the aberrant blood channels that fuel inflammation.

Benefits of IPL therapy for MGD dry eye treatment include:

Improved Meibomian Gland Function: IPL has been shown to improve the function of these glands, leading to better-quality tears and less evaporation.
Reduction in Inflammation: By targeting the inflamed blood vessels around the eyes, IPL helps reduce the chronic inflammation that worsens dry eye symptoms.
Long-lasting Results: Unlike artificial tears or medications, which may provide only temporary relief, IPL therapy offers more lasting improvements by treating the underlying cause of MGD.
Non-invasive: IPL is a non-surgical, non-invasive procedure with minimal discomfort.

IPL procedure : What to Expect During an IPL Treatment?

The IPL (Intense Pulse Therapy) process is pretty straightforward and doesn’t take long—usually between 15 and 30 minutes. What you can look forward to is this: Protective Eyewear: your clinic will give you special goggles to protect your eyes from bright light.

Cooling Gel: The area of skin around your eyes is treated with a cooling gel.
Light Pulses: Next, the physician will apply regulated light pulses to the area under your eyelids using handheld IPL equipment.
Gland Expression: Your doctor or technician may sometimes physically press on the Meibomian glands after IPL therapy to clear up any blockages. People usually need a few IPL sessions spaced out a few weeks apart to get the best effects. Your doctor will look at your unique situation to figure out the best way to treat you.

Final Thoughts: Is IPL Right for You?

If you have dry eyes from MGD and other treatments haven’t helped, you might want to look into IPL therapy. It allows for a long time, doesn’t hurt, and has no adverse effects. It gets to the root cause of MGD-induced dryness. You should talk to an eye doctor, though, to find out if IPL therapy is right for you and to make a treatment plan that is unique to your needs. Since IPL has come along, patients don’t have to depend on short-term fixes like fake tears. Here are the next steps in treating dry eyes in tangible ways to get rid of the pain’s cause, not just its signs.

TearCheck® is the latest treatment suite from ESW Vision, a revolutionary medical advancement in the identification and treatment of dry eye. This highly advanced machine provides accurate, real-time data in a matter of minutes and provides a thorough examination of tear film quality and Meibomian gland function. TearCheck® offers non-invasive, painless testing of at least seven key parameters relating to Dry eye. TearCheck® produces more accurate diagnoses, revolutionizing the way eye care practitioners evaluate dry eye. With its state-of-the-art technology, the gadget can identify even minute anomalies in gland function and tear generation, allowing for customized treatments that target the underlying cause of dry eye, particularly for MGD patients. This is a significant advancement in individualized dry eye treatment. The TearCheck® machine performs a comprehensive set of dry eye tests to deliver precise, real-time diagnostics.

Some of the most exciting and catchy features ( Tests) of the TearCheck® platform are

Meibomian Gland Imaging: This test reveals detailed pictures of the Meibomian glands and can find blocks or problems with the glands that cause dry eyes

Tear Meniscus Height Measurement: Assesses the amount of tears that are present in the lower eyelid, which assists in determining the amount of tears that are produced.

Non-Invasive Tear Break-Up Time (NIBUT): Finds out how stable the tear film is by detecting the time it takes for dry spots to form on the surface of the eye
Ocular Redness Analysis: determines the severity of redness in the eyes, which might be a sign of irritation or inflammation related to dry eye.
Blink Rate Analysis: Monitoring the frequency and completeness of a patient’s blinking is important since dry eye symptoms can be made worse by blinking that is either insufficient or infrequent.
Tear Osmolarity Test: This test determines the amount of salt that is present in the tears, which might provide insight into the severity of dry eye.
Lipid Layer Thickness Measurement: This test is done to examine the lipid layer of the tear film, which is a crucial component in preventing the loss of tears by evaporation.

With a comprehensive analysis of your dry eye tests, your doctor determines your line of treatment, the number of dosages, and the duration for targeted treatments of dry eye based on each patient’s specific condition.

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Dr. Manpreet Singh

MBBS - M.S Ophthalmology

Chief Eye Surgeon

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