With over 30 million Americans and 300 million people worldwide who suffer from dry eye, it’s definitely not a rarity. If you have noticed that your eyes feel gritty and watery all of the time, then you may suffer from dry eye as well. Even though most people have learned to live with this constant discomfort and irritation by using daily eye drops, it only provides them with some temporary relief. Now that we know that the most common cause of dry eye is a condition called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction or MGD, we at Wilkinson Eye Center can now actually treat dry eye.
How Is MGD Treated?
Unfortunately, there is no cure for MGD but at Wilkinson Eye Center we have seen some great success with a treatment called LipiFlow. LipiFlow uses thermal pulsation to help clear blockages in the meibomian glands. By gently heating the inner eye while simultaneously releasing pulses of pressure, debris is released and removed. When these glands are unblocked, lipid production increases which help to produce more tears.
Treatment For Dry Eyes
This in-office procedure is both fairly non-invasive and comfortable. We typically do both eyes at the same time and the entire treatment only takes about 12 minutes which means that you can come in on your lunch break and then go right back to work afterward because there is no recovery or side effects.
How Long Does LipiFlow Last?
On average, LipiFlow lasts about an entire year. However, to ensure that it lasts that long, we have a regimen that we encourage our patients to follow. That regimen consists of using oil-based tears, a warm Bruder Mask, and taking Hydro Eyes on a daily basis. We also encourage our patients to do regular blinking exercises to help coat and cleanse their eyes.
Schedule a client consultation
If you suffer from chronic dry eye and are sick of using eye drops every day, make sure to schedule a consultation with us, and we will see if LipiFlow is right for you. To learn more, contact our Pontiac office today and call us at (248) 334-4931.
No comments yet.