VERY interesting article about IPL for dry eye!

[lboogie]

Ask about this with lasik dryness! And/or why the m. glands get so much worse after lasik, and can this help?

[LasikRelatedDES]

OKAY all I am going today at 2:30...please post any questions ASAP and I will try to get the scoop for us!
Autumnn

Please ask if this can help people with glands that do not not show clear signs of being clogged but are instead just not producing oil or at least not enough oil.

[sazy123]

Im probably off the mark, but one thing i have thought about regarding why the M glands are effected in lasik is this: If you have a vulnerability or already have a mild MGD but nothing that significant, the application of holding the eyelids apart with that scary looking instrument may cause vascular disruption in the eyelids which leads in inflammation and MGD, and resulting bacteria etc.... just a thought.

[sazy123]

Please ask if this can help people with glands that do not not show clear signs of being clogged but are instead just not producing oil or at least not enough oil.

I would really like to know this as this is the case for me.

One of the ways he mentioned in the article was that it helps other than unblocking was by reducing vascular signals that cause inflammation.

[autumnn]

Hi All- I am so disappointed, I was just turning on the freeway to head to Dr. Toyos (armed with everyone's questions from this thread and from the other thread) when I got a call from the office saying that they needed to reschedule my appointment. I was having such a painful eye day and was looking forward to hearing some hope. I was so disappointed that I actually started crying. My poor boyfriend had to pull the car over to console me. Anyway, I am rescheduled for the 23rd. I will keep you all posted.

[sanna]

Atummn.

you are just like me. I do not know how many times I have cried over my eyes. My doctor told me I was crazy, but I just want my white eyes back.
Good luck on the 23 rd.

[odydnas]

Hi Autumn,
I'm sorry to hear your appt got rescheduled.

I had another question...can you ask Dr. Toyos, if in the near future, he can use IPL therapy for people of skin types 3 or 4 with a different type of laser or something? I mean, is he developing ways to use this type of treatment for people with darker skin, and if so, is he close?

Thanks!

[autumnn]

yes, I will add all these questions on, for sure.....I'd also like to be in touch with some of his patients and hear about this treatment from them. I asked the office if they consider you a "candidate" do they do the first treatment on the day of the consultation and they said "yes". So, who knows, Thursday I could have the procedure and some news to report back.....not sure how many treatments you need to see results but we shall see....

[sazy123]

Good luck today Autumn I hope it goes well for you and the doc is nice and forth coming with information!
Sorry to hear that you couldn't go last monday.

I think in the article it said 3 treatments- if there is no improvement after 3 that you prob wont get improvement. But you can see improvement after the first treatment according to the article.

[advocate]

For those of you who can't travel to get pulsed light, have you considered natural sunlight?

Years from now, I'll bet that they will find that the pulsed light killed the natural mold and fungi that inhabits the eyelids and that was causing an allergic reaction in people who are allergic to mold. Natural sunlight might well do the same thing, although you'd probably need more of it.

P.S. I'm on a mission to persuade you all that your symptoms just might be allergy.... I've just posted a very long explanation why...

[ALK-O'd]

I'm an MGD sufferer too (induced by ALK refractive surgery) and would love to see some sort of direct, proven gland treatment come about. But I have to say I'm very skeptical about this treatment. I think one thing that everyone is missing here is the fact that this particular treatment only directly treats the lower lid region - which unfortunately is where ONLY ONE THIRD of your mebomian glands are located. The other two thirds are in your UPPER LIDS. The article does state that:

The upper meibomian glands are not treated directly, but we have seen an improvement in the upper glands from indirect therapy.

..."indirect therapy"??? Errrrr...ummm... Like I said, I WANT to believe, but come on. I don't by that one. Perhaps it might help the glands in the lower lid some - but again, at best you may only be getting some short term improvement to a small portion of your glands - and who knows what the long term effects of zapping anything might be?

For me, I'll be sticking with hot compresses and lid massages for the time being.

[advocate]

I understand your concerns. I suspect that the natural flora/fungi that lives in all of us is causing an allergic response in those of us who have MGD. The IPL undoubtedly wipes out that natural flora and fungi, but like all microscopic life, it will eventually come back....

If my theory is correct, the lower eyelid is all that matters. That's the one where the allergens collect, and that's the one where the MG's malfunction the most. By curing the bottom lid, you cure the majority of the problem, and thus alleviate the symptoms.

Note that IPL is not a "cure," because patients have to come back for touch up treatments in the future.

I'm an MGD sufferer too (induced by ALK refractive surgery) and would love to see some sort of direct, proven gland treatment come about. But I have to say I'm very skeptical about this treatment. I think one thing that everyone is missing here is the fact that this particular treatment only directly treats the lower lid region - which unfortunately is where ONLY ONE THIRD of your mebomian glands are located. The other two thirds are in your UPPER LIDS. The article does state that:



..."indirect therapy"??? Errrrr...ummm... Like I said, I WANT to believe, but come on. I don't by that one. Perhaps it might help the glands in the lower lid some - but again, at best you may only be getting some short term improvement to a small portion of your glands - and who knows what the long term effects of zapping anything might be?

For me, I'll be sticking with hot compresses and lid massages for the time being.

[buntbean]

I had IPL for rosacea and THEN developed all my problems. My doctors and I have always wondered if there was a connection. Apparently, I'm not alone:
http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...smetic-surgery.