Evaporative Dry Eye
Can light be used to improve our eye health? Yes! In the past few years, we have discovered that dry eye is more than just a lack of tear production. In fact the majority (86%) of dry eye related disease is evaporative in nature. This means that the meibomian glands in the eyelids are not producing the oil component of tears. This causes the tear film to be unstable and perpetuate the symptoms of dry eye (burning, redness, watery, irritated eyes).
More than Artificial Tears
Thankfully, we have moved beyond merely recommending artificial tears and sending you on your way. Our dry eye center has advanced treatments such as intense pulse light (IPL), targeted heat therapy of the eyelids (TearCare), and Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT).
Red Light Therapy
LLLT is one of the newer technologies being utilized in eyecare. It has been widely used as a way to relieve pain and reduce inflammation in other arenas. This is perfect for dry eye because one of the root causes of evaporative dry eye is inflammation inhibiting the normal functioning of the glands.
Stop Inflammation
In the simplest of terms it uses low energy red light to penetrate the skin and make changes in the cells. This change not only reduces inflammation immediately, it makes changes that will have long lasting effects that stop inflammation from cascading out of control in the future. We tend to use it as an additive therapy to IPL or TearCare treatments.
When In Doubt Check It Out
The moral of the story is that dry eye treatments have evolved. If you feel the need to use artificial tears, you would benefit from a dry eye evaluation and at least seeing what options are available to you. As you can see the options are plentiful! Click here to schedule an appointment with us and get your dry eye under control!