LipiFlow device - what the????

[waterbee]

I forgot to mention the most expensive of all my treatments, LipiFlow, which i had in January (5 months ago). I had plenty of oil right after the treatment for 1 day. Then, my eyes returned back to their normal dry, red status. LipiFlow was an expensive failure at $1,595.

the reason i'm waiting until last to try that, i found it for £600 per eye in london, i cant afford it.

i was told by my new optometrist that plugs are not always effective in MGD/evaporative eye too, also prone to causing some irritation with that condition. She didn't want to take them out for a few weeks though as my eyes are in the process of healing and if there was a small chance they may be benefiting that process, she thought best wait. (tear film healing) i cant wait to get them out next month , i just want to rub my eyes again without stressing im dislodging them

[waterbee]

I forgot to mention the most expensive of all my treatments, LipiFlow, which i had in January (5 months ago). I had plenty of oil right after the treatment for 1 day. Then, my eyes returned back to their normal dry, red status. LipiFlow was an expensive failure at $1,595.

the reason i'm waiting until last to try that, i found it for £600 per eye in london, i cant afford it.

i was told by my new optometrist that plugs are not always effective in MDG too, also prone to causing some irritation with that condition. She didn't want to take them out for a few weeks though as my eyes are in the process of healing and if there was a small chance they may be benefiting that process, she thought best wait. (tear film healing) i cant wait to get them out next month , i just want to rub my eyes again without stressing im dislodging them

[LaDiva]

My bottom plugs can be removed, but not the top. Would like to have IPL done again, but don't know about those top plugs... Best of wishes to you redeyes. Hope IPL helps you.

[redeyesat50]

Yes, I plan to get my punctual plugs removed. According to Dr. Toyos' video, he removes punctual plugs when someone has MGD.

I also learned that he sells some type of small, hand-held device that looks like a flashlight. People can use it at home after the IPL treatments to prolong the results. They cost about $400-500.
I may consider buying one after all my IPL treatments.

Please let me know the results of your IPL.

[redeyesat50]

LipiFlow was a waste of money

I'm a 50 year old women with dry, red eyes. My eye lids and the whites of my eyes are red. My eyes are much worse at night.

I've been to 3 doctors in the past 3 years and have been diagnosed with MGD disease. I've had a variety of treatments including restasis, hot compresses, punctual plugs, lid scrubs, lid foams, steroids, doxycycline, retaine MGD drops, prescription eye drops for allergies, and every other type of preservative free eye drop and gel on the market. I currently use Sustain Ultra as it is less irritating. I don't sleep with a ceiling fan and I drink lots of water. I also take a high quality omega 3 supplement, specifically designed for eye health. Plus, I take a multivitamin and mineral supplement for people 50+.

I got the punctual plugs one year ago and started the warm compresses (along with a variety of preservative free drops) and my eyes kept getting worse and bloodshot, especially in the morning. I eventually stopped the warm compresses. The plugs are still in.

My face has visible broken capillaries and after reading posts on this website I decided to visit Dr. Toyos. He said that I have ocular rosacea. I have fair skin, so he is optimistic that IPL treatment will improve my dry, red eyes. I have had IPL treatment on my cheeks and nose to get of the red veins for cosmetic reasons about 5 years ago. Of course, the dermatologist avoided getting anywhere near the eyes.

I've recently read several articles that a paleo diet helps with dry eyes. Has anyone had any success with this?

I've also read that "bullet proof coffee" helps with dry eyes, any success stories?

I'm scheduled to go for my first IPL treatment the first week in June. It costs $395. I will most likely need a series of 3-4 treatments then maintenance of one treatment per year.

Dr. Toyos gave me a video to watch that was very interesting. One interesting thing is that he said for patients with MGD, punctual plugs could make the problem worse as plugs allow the tears with bacteria stay on the eye instead of draining.

I will let everyone know how the IPL treatments go. The treatments will be 4-6 weeks apart and I don't want to rush to a conclusion too quickly. I will give you the long-term effectiveness. I pray that IPL is my fix. I'm sick and tired of looking sick and tired with these red eyes!

I forgot to mention the most expensive of all my treatments, LipiFlow, which i had in January (5 months ago). I had plenty of oil right after the treatment for 1 day. Then, my eyes returned back to their normal dry, red status. LipiFlow was an expensive failure at $1,595.

[waterbee]

I start my treatment next month (ilp) also, hope it helps. I also have lower plugs which have been of little help and just mean I cannot massage my eyes as firmly as I would like. Will you have yours removed before the treatment?

[redeyesat50]

I'm a 50 year old women with dry, red eyes. My eye lids and the whites of my eyes are red. My eyes are much worse at night.

I've been to 3 doctors in the past 3 years and have been diagnosed with MGD disease. I've had a variety of treatments including restasis, hot compresses, punctual plugs, lid scrubs, lid foams, steroids, doxycycline, retaine MGD drops, prescription eye drops for allergies, and every other type of preservative free eye drop and gel on the market. I currently use Sustain Ultra as it is less irritating. I don't sleep with a ceiling fan and I drink lots of water. I also take a high quality omega 3 supplement, specifically designed for eye health. Plus, I take a multivitamin and mineral supplement for people 50+.

I got the punctual plugs one year ago and started the warm compresses (along with a variety of preservative free drops) and my eyes kept getting worse and bloodshot, especially in the morning. I eventually stopped the warm compresses. The plugs are still in.

My face has visible broken capillaries and after reading posts on this website I decided to visit Dr. Toyos. He said that I have ocular rosacea. I have fair skin, so he is optimistic that IPL treatment will improve my dry, red eyes. I have had IPL treatment on my cheeks and nose to get of the red veins for cosmetic reasons about 5 years ago. Of course, the dermatologist avoided getting anywhere near the eyes.

I've recently read several articles that a paleo diet helps with dry eyes. Has anyone had any success with this?

I've also read that "bullet proof coffee" helps with dry eyes, any success stories?

I'm scheduled to go for my first IPL treatment the first week in June. It costs $395. I will most likely need a series of 3-4 treatments then maintenance of one treatment per year.

Dr. Toyos gave me a video to watch that was very interesting. One interesting thing is that he said for patients with MGD, punctual plugs could make the problem worse as plugs allow the tears with bacteria stay on the eye instead of draining.

I will let everyone know how the IPL treatments go. The treatments will be 4-6 weeks apart and I don't want to rush to a conclusion too quickly. I will give you the long-term effectiveness. I pray that IPL is my fix. I'm sick and tired of looking sick and tired with these red eyes!

[LiliS]

i had the procedure myself in march 2015 in Italy,i was so eager and hopefull that it will work...but it didn,t ,in fact i,m dissapoinrpted and scared,because when i wnr ther i had Shirmer 8 in both eyes and now i hwve only 4 and excruciating pains ...i was a perfect candidate too for Lipiflow after the doctor,s oppinion,more than that i am allergic to all the artificial tears i tried ,so it was the perfect choice...it wasn,t ...i spent alot of money ( burroughed,still paying for them) and my life is braking down...i will try the autolougous serum drops,fortunately i found a doctor in my country who prepares them ( i live in Romania and noone cares too much about dry eyes patients here and some doctors don,t even know half ot the treatments for them...)

[PiotrSWE]

I heard from a very unlikely source today that a dry eye clinic has been opened in Stockholm: An employee of Bausch & Lomb, manufacturer of dry eye drops, told me this.

I checked their website, and they do not seem to have any advanced treatment options like IPL or Lipiflow, but even an eye doctor who knows about dry eyes is a huge leap forward in Sweden. When I have said before that I have dry eyes, eye doctors look confused and look at me as if I am crazy. Soon, they remember e that some company sent them some sample for something called "dry eyes" and they give me a bottle and send me away.

For anyone in Stockholm, here is the link: www.kallmarkskliniken.se/

[Toril]

Hi there!

Tørreøyneklinikken in Oslo offers Lipiflow. Check out therir webpage on www.torreoyneklinikken.no

Regards,

Toril

[PiotrSWE]

Hi,

Which places offer IPL and Lipiflow treatments in Europe? Preferably in Central Europe or Scandinavia.

[Dry-eyed-suzy]

hankm9,

had lipiflow done today. hoping your list won't keep me from being better.
she scraped off dead tissue right before it on the inside of my lids. (used dye to do that) I do warm compresses and manually express glands about 4x a day. I've only been aware of my MGD for 7 months. BAM, suddenly last summer I was miserable. Apparently I have some atrophy of glands since my left eye can barely produce oil even after scalding the &&&& out of them with hot compresses all day & squeezing them hard (using makeup brush handle). If I had an office job I would not be able to do all I do for my eyes. -mod./ Severe MGD, bleph, weird eyelashes, genetic dry eye, no tears, no oil. **I like your list. I have: 1. Poor Blinking (tv/pc); 2. some MG drop out/atrophy; 3. chronic MGD, leading to tissue changes (prob. 2 yrs but only noticed recently, new); 4. In-sufficient lid seal while sleeping (trying the sleep goggles sold here). I paid $1700. She said I will have 2 weeks of dryness since the oil was all "sucked out" today. dr. gave my blinking exercises to do. She thinks this will last 1 yr - 18 mos. I HOPE. Dr. gave me lotemax drops (temp. replacing alrex). Although eyes are dry, I have less of that foreign sensation pain I had before. That constant feeling that I needed to go home & do a warm compress so my eyes could feel normal / moist for 5 minutes? that feeling is gone & my eyes feel a tad "cleaner". Wondering if debridement alone would have done that? I can say that my eyes are smaller than normal, so it wasn't without some minor discomfort getting the plate things under my eyelids. Dr. explained that the device heats up the entire glands all up into the TOP of the lid, which hot compresses CANNOT DO. THIS is the key for me since I am constantly trying but failing to get the blocked glands really "cleaned out" of thick oil. Also, you cannot reach these hot temperatures that the device does since the device is between the lid & cornea. The eye lids apparently have blood vessels that protect it from overheating, so with the compress, you cannot get them as hot as you need to melt all the oil. BTW, she manually counted my atrophied glands since she ditched lipiview as a useless device. She is a "dry eye specialist" in Texas & my 3rd dr. now. I'm a stay at home om with 2 young kids so I cannot have eye problems. I have to drive them everywhere in the pm when my eyes are giving out on me. I'll report back if this was a real success! - Texas mom full of hope

Reasons for delayed or absent symptom relief, post LipiFlow treatment.

1. Poor Blinking
2. Significant MG drop out/atrophy
3. Chronicity of MGD, leading to tissue changes
4. In-sufficient lid seal while sleeping
5. Line of Marx & Lid Margin Irregularities
6. Corneal hyperalgesia/hypersensitivity/phantom pain
7. Blepharoplasty or other structural lid surgery

This is why it's best to have LipiFlow when your symptoms are extremely mild and the above list hasn't occurred yet. They can be prevented if you clear the glands as soon as they begin to become obstructed. Most of us wait until we progress too far downstream and will have one or more of the issues above. The percentage for success with LipiFlow diminishes.. However It's still important to have it I think. It's important to prevent as much drop out as possible, otherwise you'll get to a stage of no functioning glands, no lipid and probably won't be able to get out of bed from the pain.

Blinking is a significant factor in dry eye. We don't discuss it enough. If you can be crazy enough to train your brain to blink properly, regularly, you will significantly improve your chances of long term LipiFlow relief. Of course if you have nocturnal lagopthalmos, don't even bother having LipiFlow unless you're going to wear a nighttime eye shield every night. Overnight the ocular surface will dry out and your LipiFlow treatment will be completely wasted. There's lots of factors that need to be examined in MGD. Hopefully people going in for the procedure have a practitioner who will spend extensive time to have a look at all these factors and educate the patient to maximise their treatment, if they choose to have it.

[Dog2012]

Thanks. I will try that one.

[Tankie]

Sorry, here is the link again: http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/li...l#.VN_Zb_nF_II

I did not try blephasteam actually.

Tankie

[Dog2012]

Hi Tankie,

It is nice to hear about you again...:} . The link you supplied doesn't work. Also did you try Blephasteam ?