Had my first IPL today

[farmgirl]

Well, finally I had my first IPL treatment today. The treatment itself wasn't too bad actually, less painful than I thought it would be. Then I had the glands expressed....yikes I tolerated that but I have to say it was not pleasant. He told me that it should get easier with subsequent treatments so I hope he speaks the truth. He did put some numbing drops in but it was like he was squeezing a stubborn pimple kind of a fingernail pinching sensation although he used q-tips.

He got a bit of the toothpaste type oils out but most of it was not so dramatic, just made little domes of thicker oils that hadn't gone to toothpaste yet. There were some glands that produced nothing at all so perhaps those will need to be probed in the future. I asked him about debridement of the lid margins like Sophie had but he didn't seem to think it was necessary....hmmm.

The lids are a bis sore right now but not too too bad so hopefully in a couple of says when they recover I will be able to tell if it made a difference or not.

[pythonidler]

Every doctor does IPL differently. Sometimes it's the actual pulses that hurt more, and sometimes it's the manual expression that hurts more. Glad to hear that you're producing oil, though. Next time after the IPL, you should ask the doctor if any glands are "closed." If they are closed, you may have scar tissue over those glands.

I've been told that lid debridement is just to clear the "caps" of the glands, and that IPL will clear those caps. So it seems that debridement probably isn't necessary if you're having IPL done.

I don't think you'll feel any improvement until after your next IPL. My doctor here says most people feel relief after the second treatment. That was certainly true for me. The morning after my second treatment I felt noticeably better.

[farmgirl]

Right now my eyes are producing something really annoying. I am getting a film on my corneas which comes and goes that is difficult to see through. They are getting dry crusty yellow stuff on the lash line that I soak off and then in an hour it is back and needs to be soaked off again. I don't know if this is old oil coming out or what the heck it is but I hope that it doesn't keep up because my lash lines have always been clean and free of gunk (which happens if they are not producing oils). Has anyone else noticed this after a treatment?

I guess that is why he wasn't concerned about clearing off the caps.

[Hokucat]

Glad you finally got your first IPL treatment! I hope IPL works for you, and look forward to hearing your results over the course of treatments.

Perhaps the film is partially related to residual from the numbing drops or something else he used on your eyes for the procedure.

[hopeful_hiker]

Right now my eyes are producing something really annoying.

Fascinating! I guess the IPL is working then, hopefully.

What kind of corneal shields did you have? Under or over the upper eyelid? How long did the session last?

[diydry]

Great to hear about your first IPL procedure. Did you try Lipiflow, too, or simply opt for IPL? I had Lipiflow several months ago but am thinking about IPL down the road and I'm not sure if this is a good use of time and money. Keep us posted!

[farmgirl]

Great to hear about your first IPL procedure. Did you try Lipiflow, too, or simply opt for IPL? I had Lipiflow several months ago but am thinking about IPL down the road and I'm not sure if this is a good use of time and money. Keep us posted!

LIke I have said before my doc had lipiflow for several years but is finding the he gets better results with the IPL. He says that if the lipiflow works those people swear by it but the IPL seems to be helping more. Did you find the lipiflow helped you diydry? The other thing is IPL is cheaper, I am getting 4 treatments for a total of $1900 where I understand from others here that lipiflow is about $700 per eye per treatment, correct me if I am wrong.

The yellow crusty stuff gooed my eyes shut in the night but seems to have abated today. I think it was all the old oil coming out and if it was liquidy it was sticky. I am taking this as a good sign that we accomplished something. He said the expressing would get easier and said that there was no point me doing it at home because I would not be able to get anything out as the glands are still pretty plugged. I can't believe the quantity of old oils that seeped out yesterday after the treatment.

Today they are a bit worse but I was expecting that so hopefully they will stabilize again.

I had over the upper eyelid shields.

[farmgirl]

I am curious pythonidler, or anyone else who has had IPL done. Did you get the crazy excessive dried oils coming out for the day following the treatment?

[MGD1701]

Hi Farmgirl

Hope you are feeling better today.

Found these 2 videos, curious, which one you had? They seem to be different.
Dr Periman one seems interesting!!

a) Dr Periman Demonstrates Step II in the Periman Protocol for addressing MGD with the M22 IPL.
(4 May 2018)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3EBSJD6EWY


b) Toyos Dry Eye Treatment with IPL (2016)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcIsdMbbeXc

---------------

Here Dr Rolando mentioned IPL light is so strong - probing is not required - as all toothpaste-like oil come out when express.
Strangely, all videos I watched - all show such toothpaste-like oil - maybe just to demo how effectively IPL is??

New Light Treatments for Dry Eye Disease - IPL and The Q

(May 25 2018)
Dr. Rolando Toyos the inventor and pioneer of light treatments to treat Dry Eye Disease lectures at the International Society of Ophthalmic Pharmacology and Therapeutics ISOPT annual meeting - this year Tel Aviv. Dr. Toyos has been working with Intense Pulse Light IPL for 18 years adapting the technology to develop the most effective way available to treat Dry Eye Disease. IPL is an in office treatment administered by a doctor. He lectures on the newest IPL technology the Lumenis M22 Optima. Dr. Toyos has also developed a light treatment, The Q, that patients can utilize at home to maintain normal natural tears. Light treatments minimizes the use of artificial tears, medicated drops, and oral medications. Dr. Toyos is the author of the Best Selling Book - Dry Eye Disease Treatment in the Year 2020 - available on Amazon.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQPF3OHVW4Y

[farmgirl]

Thanks MGD/ What came out was a bit of the stuff that looked like worms and then mostly the thick oily stuff that is in the first video. They said that you will be wanting to blow your nose because that will be draining down into your nose so maybe that is why I had so much on the lashes afterwards because I am quadra plugged and it couldn't escape.

Today I feel like I have a lash in the left eye. Actually it has been there for a couple of days but worse today. There is a read bloodshot streak on the lower part. Gotta get that checked out tomorrow.

[Johno_87]

Thanks for the update, keep us posted.

[farmgirl]

Good news, sore spot went away overnight....whew