dry vs. moist heat for tear ducts?

[Vickie]

Hello,
I was looking around in the Dry Eye shop and saw the rice baggie thing and the other heat mask. These both appear to be a great alternative to having to keep re-wetting a washcloth, as they hold the heat longer.
My question, though, is this: It seems that these products provide dry heat. Isn't moist heat preferrable? I was under this impression. Don't ask me where I got that impression, I just assumed it to be the case when my doctor siad to do heat compress w/ wash cloth...
Thanks for clarifying this for me.

Vickie

[NYer]

I am puzzled about that, too. Seems to me that moist heat would be far preferable, particularly in the case of dry eyes.

[Rebecca Petris]

Hello,
I was looking around in the Dry Eye shop and saw the rice baggie thing and the other heat mask. These both appear to be a great alternative to having to keep re-wetting a washcloth, as they hold the heat longer.
My question, though, is this: It seems that these products provide dry heat. Isn't moist heat preferrable?

I think that the only reason doctors recommend washcloths is that everyone has them.

As far as I know, moist vs. dry is exclusively a matter of personal preference/comfort. From a therapeutic standpoint, the point of the warm compresses, when used for blepharitis/MGD, is to warm the meibomian glands so as to loosen and liquefy thickened oil secretions if possible. - so it's a question of heat delivery not moisture. Some people like moist heat best and that's fine.

Also just FYI, the eye spa pad is a moist heat source - not wet like a washcloth of course, but it's a hydrogel pad that is moist when you heat it. Some people get moisture with their rice baggy by placing a glass of water in the microwave alongside it.

[calli66]

I've noticed that the rice baggy seems a bit moist after it comes out of the microwave...

I use a wet washcloth in the morning which helps loosen the dried gel on my lashes, and gets the M glands ready for expression (morning routine).

I use a rice baggy at night, when I don't want to bother with the mess of a wet washcloth. Sometime I just drift off to sleep---it's very relaxing, and doesn't turn COLD. It just cools down to room temperature. And I don't have to get up, go into the bathroom and DO something with it at the end.

Calli

[Stanza]

eye spa pad is a moist heat source

You're not selling these are you? Quite fancy one or maybe just a facial spa thing to put my whole head in, that would probably also be similar - in theory?

[Rebecca Petris]

You're not selling these are you?

The Eye Spa Pad is the name for the cotton-covered hydrogel compress Dr. Latkany mentions in his book in the chapter on the home eye spa. It was first sold by DeepBlueSee and is now in our dry eye shop.

[Stanza]

ok, thanks. I've the book on the way, so I'll read up on it...