WHAT IS IPL & HOW DOES IT TREAT DRY EYE?

IPL therapy is a treatment for dry eye. It uses pulses of light from a handheld device to treat the skin around the eyes, reducing dry eye symptoms. It was originally developed for use in dermatology and FDA-approved for patients with rosacea and acne. Patients who had these treatments returned not only with clearer skin, but also reported that their eyes felt less dry and gritty.

This light-based treatment relieves inflammation in the blood vessels within the eyelid and helps melt oil blockages in the meibomian glands allowing oil to flow freely and help tears last longer. Therapy targets blood vessels in the facial tissues to offer relief from dry eyes as well as to reduce the look of wrinkles, fine lines, and even bags under the eyes.

HOW IT WORKS

IPL is a non-laser, broad wavelength, high intensity flash of light that is applied using a handpiece that contacts the skin through a chilled sapphire or quartz block. Using the energy from visible light, IPL treats abnormal vessels, decreases inflammation, reduces the load of bacteria and demodex mites on the skin and stimulates collagen production.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO SHOW RESULTS?

While each person is different, most patients will require three to four treatments to achieve results, followed by a single maintenance treatment every six to twelve months. The initial treatments are scheduled 2-3 weeks apart. Results may vary from person to person, so your optometrist will discuss with you how many treatment sessions you may need.

A CUSTOMIZED TREATMENT PLAN

A dry eye consultation is encouraged before you start IPL therapy. Your optometrist can help determine if this treatment is right for you, instruct you on how to prepare for your appointment, and answer your questions. If your dry eye is caused by other conditions that don’t respond well to IPL, your optometrist can advise you about other treatment options.

WHAT TO EXPECT DURING TREATMENT

This quick 15–20-minute procedure will begin with you resting in a reclined chair. After determining your skin type, eye protection will be put in place and a contact gel will be applied to your skin to increase transmission of the light energy.

During treatment, you will feel a warm sensation with each flash of light. Some patients may experience a light snapping sensation, like a rubber band. After unblocking the glands, your doctor may manually express the glands to help stimulate release, improving your symptoms.

You may experience mild redness and/or swelling in treated areas, though this will disappear within a few hours. Patients can resume their daily activities the same day and are advised to be mindful of sunlight, to use sunscreen and wear sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat if sun exposure is unavoidable.

RELIEVE YOUR DRY EYE SYMPTOMS

IPL can be beneficial if you live with chronic dry eyes, relieving symptoms caused by clogged meibomian glands. This advanced treatment does more than alleviate surface-level symptoms, it addresses the cause of the problems and creates long-lasting results. While several treatments may be required to get the best long-term results, many patients will start to see improvement after just one treatment. IPL also limits the need for artificial tears and can help prevent further loss of the meibomian glands that lubricate your eye with each blink.

IMPROVED APPEARANCE

In addition to targeting meibomian glands, IPL also stimulates the collagen in the skin near the eyes. Collagen is the protein that is responsible for the elasticity in the skin, so when the production of collagen is stimulated it causes the skin to naturally become firmer, reducing the appearance of wrinkles. IPL treatment targets the blood vessels close to the surface of the skin. Targeting these blood vessels can reduce the look of dark circles under the eyes.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

The cost for an initial series of four IPL treatments is $800. Follow-up sessions are $200 per session. Our advanced dry eye evaluation costs $110 and includes measurement of tear meniscus height, non-invasive tear break-up time, and meibography, allowing us to determine the underlying causes of your symptoms.

IPL AT GRAND RIVER OPTOMETRY

To schedule or discuss IPL dry eye treatment and start feeling relief, contact us at Grand River Optometry. We offer treatment using the gold standard Lumenis M22 system and look forward to helping you tackle your dry eye symptoms.

“The introduction of IPL has been the most exciting addition to our dry eye clinic. Finally, we have a treatment that does more than just react to the symptoms of dry eye. IPL targets the underlying problem of over 85% of dry eye and allows eyes to produce their own high-quality lubrication with every blink.” – Dr. Daniel Robinson