IPL eye protection?

[LainieLou]

What kind of eye protection was used for your IPL treatment? I had sealed gauze pads and thick gel. It was much hotter than I expected, and if I do another treatment will request something more. I'd appreciate hearing others' experience. Thanks

[pythonidler]

I've had a couple different things.
1. Disposable eyepatches that adhere to the front of the eyelid (http://www.honeywellsafety.com/Produ...aspx?site=/usa)
2. Thick corneal shields that sit right on top of the eye and underneath the eyelid (http://www.lasersafetyindustries.com...100-55-114.htm)

They both seem to work fine. Only thing to keep in mind is doctors should NOT be zapping the eyelid directly if you're wearing one of the disposable patches.

[mbperso]

Hello, a doctor told me that IPL works only for people with clear skin (blue eyes) , I'm curious.
Is that true ?

[LainieLou]

Pythonidler, the lower eyelid was lifted and the edge of the patch was slipped just inside, to make a seal. But the light and especially the heat were much more than I expected.

So I'm curious about what others experienced.

I definitely don't want to scare anyone off IPL, and I had good results.

I have read about round metal corneal shields that actually go under the eyelid etc.

Whoever handles calls (not the doctor) told me "oh I think there might be a pair of goggles in the drawer, and the doctor could turn down the level".

[pythonidler]

LainieLou,

For the majority of my IPLs, I had the disposable eyepatches. But recently, my doctor has started using the corneal shields underneath my eyelid. The first time she used the corneal shields, she used the same power level as before - but it was too powerful to use on my eyelids directly and she ended up frying one of my eyelashes. We ended up turning down the power level the next time and there weren't any negative repercussions.

[LainieLou]

...They both seem to work fine. Only thing to keep in mind is doctors should NOT be zapping the eyelid directly if you're wearing one of the disposable patches.

Pythonidler ~~ Could you maybe explain a little more, what you mean by "zapping the eyelid directly"? Once the patches are on, and the light is being passed over the eyes, it's just intense and bright, I don't know how I would be able to tell if they were zapping directly or not .. seems like the light of the laser covers pretty much the whole eyelid ~~ is that what you mean by "directly"? Thanks

[pythonidler]

Pythonidler ~~ Could you maybe explain a little more, what you mean by "zapping the eyelid directly"? Once the patches are on, and the light is being passed over the eyes, it's just intense and bright, I don't know how I would be able to tell if they were zapping directly or not .. seems like the light of the laser covers pretty much the whole eyelid ~~ is that what you mean by "directly"? Thanks

Whenever an IPL pulse is triggered, you as the patient can feel the area of your face that is hit - as the doctors describe it, the sensation is like someone letting a rubber band smack you in the face. When I refer to a doctor zapping you "directly" on the eyelid, I mean that you feel that sensation on your eyelid as opposed to somewhere around it.

So to go back to what I was saying before, you should never feel that rubber band snapping sensation on your eyelid UNLESS you have a corneal shield underneath it. If a doctor is just using disposable eyepatches instead and you feel it on your eyelid (as opposed to the area around it), that is very dangerous and you should stop the treatment immediately.

[pythonidler]

I should add that if you're somewhat uneasy about using an eyepatch as protection, you can always insist on using the corneal shield. I think most doctors would be happy to oblige.

[LainieLou]

Pythonidler ~~ just so I'm clear ~ with the corneal shield under the eyelids, same power level, you felt it more, not less than with the disposable eyepatch?

So she adjusted the power to a lower level, to compensate for the shield? Trying to understand this.

Is that because with the metal shield, the IPL pulse hits the shield and "bounces" more strongly so you feel more of a "zap"?

For me with the disposable patches & gel, it was a zapping feeling but also a very hot burning feeling all over the eyelid, very fast but so hot I couldn't believe it. So hot that the zap receded in memory, to the point where I just now edited this post as "yeah, now I do remember the zap!!" Anyway...

Then gland expression was painful (of course ~ was expecting that ~ first time though, it does pinch) but doc said the glands were quite responsive, and I found for hours afterward eyes were noticeably more oily.

So because of good response, I want to consider another IPL (am in fact scheduled for a second treatment in about a week) but I'm really having to rethink this. Sounds like I had better get them to use corneal shields, for sure.

I've had DES for about six years, but this inflammation just started about three months ago, so I'm trying new things to catch up and deal with it.

Thanks for responding to my posts.

[BoneDry]

Hello All -

I can say that Toyos only uses the Honeywell Disposal Eye shields. He told me the reason he uses these are due to the fact that metal/plastic eye shields would need sterilized each use which is not feasible in his clinic. He mentioned some clinics use the metal shields and just use isopropyl alcohol to "wipe" them down with after each patient use. He said that still carries risk of not being properly sterilized. Also, the disposals do block out the light spectrum that is used for IPL.

Specs for the Honeywell eye shields:

Meets Standards: ANSI Z136.1, CE EN207.Laser-AID, Protection Level: OD 7 @ 190-11,000nm EN 207: 315-1400 D L6 + IR L7, >1400-11000 D L4 + IR L3.LED-AID, Protection Level: OD 4 @ 315-1400nm EN 207: >315-1400 DIR L4Derm_AID, IPL-AID: CE marked.

[pythonidler]

Pythonidler ~~ just so I'm clear ~ with the corneal shield under the eyelids, same power level, you felt it more, not less than with the disposable eyepatch?

So she adjusted the power to a lower level, to compensate for the shield? Trying to understand this.

Is that because with the metal shield, the IPL pulse hits the shield and "bounces" more strongly so you feel more of a "zap"?

For me with the disposable patches & gel, it was a zapping feeling but also a very hot burning feeling all over the eyelid, very fast but so hot I couldn't believe it. So hot that the zap receded in memory, to the point where I just now edited this post as "yeah, now I do remember the zap!!" Anyway...

Then gland expression was painful (of course ~ was expecting that ~ first time though, it does pinch) but doc said the glands were quite responsive, and I found for hours afterward eyes were noticeably more oily.

So because of good response, I want to consider another IPL (am in fact scheduled for a second treatment in about a week) but I'm really having to rethink this. Sounds like I had better get them to use corneal shields, for sure.

I've had DES for about six years, but this inflammation just started about three months ago, so I'm trying new things to catch up and deal with it.

Thanks for responding to my posts.

You are correct. The first time I had corneal shields in, she used the same power level as when I had the disposable eyepatches on. The next time I had IPL with corneal shields, she lowered the power level and it was more tolerable.

I can't really guess why I felt it more when she zapped the eyelids - maybe it was because eyelid skin is thinner than other facial skin? I don't know for sure.

For what it's worth regarding the eyepatches - I've never had a problem with doctors using them. But again, if you don't feel comfortable with them, you can always request the corneal shields and doctors will be more than happy to accommodate you.

[Teresa longacre]

Has anyone gotten a schleral scratch or inflammation from the metal cornea shield , after Ipl treatment?