The Dangers of IPL - please read before you get your first treatment

[NeedMyEyes]

Here is an abstract of 2 patients in Miami with damage to the iris after IPL:

Ocular Damage Secondary to Intense Pulse Light Therapy to the Face

Purpose: To promote awareness and prevention of ocular damage that can occur during Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatments of the periocular areas.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was conducted of 2 cases involving ocular damage following IPL procedures that were treated at Bascom Palmer Eye Institute for ocular complications. Routine data were collected during ophthalmic examinations.

Results: Case 1: A 36-year-old female presented with eye pain, marked pupillary constriction, and anterior uveitis an hour after receiving IPL treatment to the face. Within 1 month, the damage had progressed to posterior synechiae and iris transillumination defects. She continues to have pain and severe photophobia due to permanent iris atrophy and transillumination that have persisted for years. Case 2: A 27-year-old female presented with severe eye pain, vision disturbances, pupillary defects, and anterior uveitis 3 days after IPL of an eyelid freckle. At 2 months follow up, the iris and pupillary defects remain permanent. The patient continues to suffer from photophobia and pain.

Conclusions: The pigmented iris absorbs light in the same wavelength range of IPL, thus remaining vulnerable to IPL exposure, especially when applied to the periocular area. The fact that IPL is not a laser may give people a false sense of security regarding damage to the eye. The cases presented give evidence that periorbital IPL treatment may permanently affect pigmented intraocular structures. It is imperative for treating physicians to be aware of these hazards and to use appropriate eye protection to prevent ocular damage.

(C)2011The American Society of Opthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Inc.

[NeedMyEyes]

IPL isn't a LASER but it is still dangerous...

http://www.fotona.com/en/aesthetics/news/?id=61

IPL Implies Higher Risk for Serious Eye-Injury than Laser

"If an IPL light pulse is fired from a distance of 20 cm against an open eye, the MPE (Maximum Permissible Exposure) in the cornea is exceeded by more than 4000 times...."

[NeedMyEyes]

Don't wear contacts during IPL, especially not the colored contacts

http://ukpmc.ac.uk/articles/PMC29925...BC1447CF5.jvm1

Pigment deposition of cosmetic contact lenses on the cornea after intense pulsed-light treatment

We report a case of corneal deposition of pigments from cosmetic contact lenses after intense pulsed-light (IPL) therapy. A 30-year-old female visited our outpatient clinic with ocular pain and epiphora in both eyes; these symptoms developed soon after she had undergone facial IPL treatment. She was wearing cosmetic contact lenses throughout the IPL procedure. At presentation, her uncorrected visual acuity was 2/20 in both eyes, and the slit-lamp examination revealed deposition of the color pigment of the cosmetic contact lens onto the corneal epithelium. We scraped the corneal epithelium along with the deposited pigments using a no. 15 blade; seven days after the procedure, the corneal epithelium had healed without any complications. This case highlights the importance of considering the possibility of ocular complications during IPL treatment, particularly in individuals using contact lenses. To prevent ocular damage, IPL procedures should be performed only after removing the lenses and applying eyeshields.

[NeedMyEyes]

Iris photoablation after IPL on a freckle located near the eye on the nose...

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20636387

Ocular Complication of Intense Pulsed Light Therapy: Iris Photoablation.

In case you don't know what "photoablation" is - it means COOOKING YOUR IRIS (the colored part of your eye) just like frying an egg.

You should see the picture on page 1467 of this poor 26 year old girl whose right eye is normal and the left eye looks like she is some kind of alien or something. She will never have a normal life after this IPL. It is a real shame...

All the doctor had to do was insert a metal corneal shiel - it is like a steel contact. It would have taken 2 minutes....

Now she has to wear sunglasses in dark rooms and get special tinting done to her car.

[NeedMyEyes]

Don't get IPL without a corneal shield!!!

On page 3 in the article "Ocular Damage Secondary to IPL therapy to the Face", it says:

"To minimize these types of injuries, opaque ocular shields, such as stainless steel or plastic corneal shields that can be placed beneath the eyelids and conform to the globe, should always be used throughout the duration of IPL and laser procedures that treat on or near the eyelids.

For practitioners who do not specialize in eye care and who may not be comforable applying corneal shields, external metal goggles or adhesive eye shields should be used but not repositioned or removed at any time during the procedure."

I have to admit something: I have a Masters degree in Biomedical Optics (Lasers, IPL, etc.) and I know EXACTLY what kind of damage these things can do to you. But I allowed a doctor to perform IPL on my eyelids when I SHOULD HAVE INSISTED THAT HE USE STAINLESS STEEL CONTACTS!!

Why didn't I do this? Because I have a horrible case of MGD and I am desparate for relief! That's why! He had some metal contacts there at his office. It would have taken 2 minutes for him to go get them and put them in my eyes. But I didn't ask for them - even though I knew about this stuff before getting the procedure.

Yes he used the adhesive covers on my eyes, and I am probably going to be okay. But SCREW "PROBABLY" !! I want to know 100% for sure that there are no big risks to my eyesight before I let one of these LASER cowboys shoot light at MY eyes. Geez... I am so mad at myself now.....

From now on, I am going to INSIST that my ophthalmologist put in metal corneal shields before getting anymore IPL.

[NeedMyEyes]

Here is what YOUR eyes could look like after IPL if you don't INSIST on stainless steel contacts during IPL session.

Don't forget - LASERs and IPL in the wrong hands can change your life forever...

Be safe guys,

Need My Eyes

[buntbean]

I had IPL for rosacea 6 years ago and about a week after my last treament I suddenly experienced extreme pain in my eyes. I've always wondered if there was a connection. I continue to struggle daily with extreme dry eye and pain. They used "sunglasses" until the last treatment. Then she took them off to get closer on my nose and around my eyes. When I asked her about it she said it was harmless. I did go to a "spa" and not a doctor specializing in IPL.

[Angela]

Fraxel Laser

Wow. I found these posts while doing research on IPL for MGD...

In November, just 3 months before being diagnosed with MGD I had my second Fraxel laser (for acne scars) done on my face. They did not use any protective eyewear on me. As a matter of fact I got an eyebrow ring scar zapped as well. I do remember that THEY wore protective glasses.

When I went to Dr. Latkany (eye specialist in NY) yesterday, he mentioned to me that Fraxel is a fancier IPL. He also mentioned that he could tell by looking at my MGs, that they'd been this way for at least 6 months. My first treatment was in September. So if anything, these treatments either brought this condition on, or definitely didn't make it better. I know I am looking to place the blame on just about anything right now, but I do wonder if there is a connection.

I don't have dry eyes, I have MGD caused by "bad oil" Basically my oil is white clumpy discharge. Funny thing is, I got the Fraxel to help with acne scars and it actually ended up making my skin break out so bad that I got new acne which will likely cause new scars. Oh and the old scars look the same too. I think maybe I've done more harm than good with all of the things I've done to get rid of problems out of desperation. I'm sure a lot of people understand!

[NeedMyEyes]

Safer IPL - here is a video

I hope it's okay that I post this video and that I compliment Dr. Lewis in Philadelphia for his using opaque corneal shields to protect the eye during IPL.

Here is the video of Dr. Lewis from youtube:

Please notice that the first thing Dr. Lewis does is protect the eyes by inserting these corneal shields. This seems to be the safest way to perform IPL around the eyes.

One other thing - Dr. Sanjay Kamat, also in Philadelphia, uses these stainless steel corneal shields to protect his patients.

[alex123711]

Does dr Toyos use the eye shield as well? Is it still risky even using the shield?

[bunnyrabbit123]

Alex,
I don't know what Dr. Toyos does, the Dr. I saw was Toyos trained and did use the cornea shields. I had 6 treatments and other than it not being a complete success, I'm fine. Well, not fine. I'm still symptomatic but better than I was.

[alex123711]

Which dr did u use?

[alex123711]

bUMP, just wondering if the metal shields are failsafe or are there still dangers?

[Betsy]

I am thinking my next step is to see Dr. Toyos at in Tennessee. Can someone please tell us the eye shield he uses and if there are still risks like Alex asked? It's a very good question. Since my eyes got worse after a CAT scan of my inner ear, which is super close to the eyes, naturally I get nervous with these things though Toyos is world renowned which helps ease my mind a bit, I just feel like I am the one person of a trillion that gets the side effect no one else gets. Not just with eyes, but various health related things.

[sparkle_eyes]

My doctor places hard metal shields over my eyes and gel around the eyes. I have had two IPL treatments so far and everything is fine and my glands are starting to work properly.