IPL success!!

[KittyCat]

Hi drydm I've not heard of cancer risks with IPL, where have you read this please?

I do have a prominent red vein in my left eye, it hasn't made a difference so far I'm afraid! But to be honest, that's the least of my own personal concerns. I'm just glad my eyes no longer sting and burn all the time and I feel like my former self again!

Cat

[gilles]

Hi drydm I've not heard of cancer risks with IPL, where have you read this please?

I do have a prominent red vein in my left eye, it hasn't made a difference so far I'm afraid! But to be honest, that's the least of my own personal concerns. I'm just glad my eyes no longer sting and burn all the time and I feel like my former self again!

Cat

IPL, intense pulsed light, is strong enough light (just like e.g. UV light) to make property changes to the skin, just like sunlight (UV light) would. The intensity could be dangerous, just like with UV light.
If I am not mistaken, IPL started out with people who suffered from rosacea and found out that it helped for their dry eyes also. So the light will change/thin the blood vessels (inflammation/immune reaction problem), which is especially beneficial for people suffering from facial rosacea. [It MIGHT also dry out and affect the sebum in the glands, which is why people with acné have a better skin in the summer.]

[Guest]

Hi Cat
How many PULSES you have received per session?
I remember mine was only 10 max. from E-Eye, the IPL you have.
Thank you.

[drydm]

Hi drydm I've not heard of cancer risks with IPL, where have you read this please?

Cat

I did some research on that. For example here are some studies:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/art...Dterm%20risks.

So I was wondering if your specialist told you anything about long term risks. My doctor said that he wasn't aware of any cancer-related problems.

Yes gilles in summer, in Mediterranean countries especially, my skin condition as well as eye condition are improved a lot. That is why I'm thinking to give IPL a chance. I suppose my condition - dry eye, rosacea- is much allergy-related. All that medication that I used for dry eyes (dozens of moisturizing drops, ointments, steroid drops, antibiotics) made rosacea and allergy so much worse. So now I'm struggling with a lot of eyelid allergy/ rosacea rather than dry eyes. So I need either move to Mediterranean countries or to try IPL.

[KittyCat]

From what I can see, the conclusion of that study is that there are not considered any long term risks of cancer? Unless I'm totally reading this wrong?

My doctor didn't mention any risks whatsoever except for potential soreness/redness for a few days after treatment (although that didn't happen to me). I'm also on the highest setting as I have pale skin, and have not had any unwanted side effects.

It is pricey, but if you think it may work for you, I would say definitely go for an initial consultation! That's what I did, and I was deemed an excellent candidate for IPL. Turns out, my doctor was right!

[lipino]

Awesome! Did they do the IPL directly on your eyelids with a corneal shield, or just around your face?

The unfortunate thing about IPL is it can't be done on darker skin, the melanin is like natural sunscreen and absorbs too much energy.

But it's not just the manual expression, there is good data that the IPL itself helps stop the inflammation. I've had warming and manual expression done and I didn't notice much difference, the glands just get clogged up again.

[gilles]

Awesome! Did they do the IPL directly on your eyelids with a corneal shield, or just around your face?

The unfortunate thing about IPL is it can't be done on darker skin, the melanin is like natural sunscreen and absorbs too much energy.

But it's not just the manual expression, there is good data that the IPL itself helps stop the inflammation. I've had warming and manual expression done and I didn't notice much difference, the glands just get clogged up again.

What I would like to know then, is if a meibography shows if the glands are plugged/blocked? Because, for example, myself, I've had my first meibography last week (only lower lid, which seems standard; why that is I don't know. Maybe there is enough correlation between the state of lower and upper that one is enough) and it was very healthy (everything seemed fine because my upper lid was full of that white (I suppose glands with meibum; could be blockages full of junk too) on the image. Does this mean the inflammation of my eyelid (red, swollen line, meaning inflammation) prevents the oil to come free AND/OR my glands are blocked and so nothing comes out when blinking?

With that background in our mind:
- Is the purpose of a meibography to show if your glands have atrophied, because it can not show if the glands are blocked, being that the indistinguishable content shown on the image is junk or healthy oil.
- What would be a good move: IPL for anti-inflammatory effects, so that the glands can properly function or manual expression (because even though the glands look healthy, they might be stuck as hell)? And preferably repeat the IPL/expression, to get the proper gland function.

To KittyCat, related to this: as IPL and manual expression helped you, did your eyelid look inflamed. If inflamed, how does it look now you've done IPL and manual expression. And how was your meibography?

[KittyCat]

Hi Cat
How many PULSES you have received per session?
I remember mine was only 10 max. from E-Eye, the IPL you have.
Thank you.

5 pulses on each lower eye lid!

[KittyCat]

Hi gilles the term "eyelid inflammation" is something I see a lot, but I don't actually know what that physically looks like! How do I check this?

I didn't have a meibography per se, I had infrared images of my eye lids taken, which showed the shape of my lower eye lid glands. The only thing "wrong" that my doctor could see, is that a couple of them weren't straight but rather starting to twist a bit, possibly making it more difficult for oil to flow freely? I don't know. But then she checked the state of the oil by pressing the glands and seeing what kind of consistency the oil is. So I think the imaging shows the shape and length of the glands (atrophy or non atrophy for example), and then manual expression should be carried out afterwards to see the state of the oil coming out. You need both of these things for a full picture I guess!

[benja5290]

Hi gilles the term "eyelid inflammation" is something I see a lot, but I don't actually know what that physically looks like! How do I check this?

Eyelid inflammation is blepharitis. So all the symptoms associated with blepharitis - puffy eyelids, potential scaling of the surface, flaky skin, blocked glands (even), crusting, lashes missing, demodex, etc.
My understanding is that IPL works by reducing the gland inflammation. In some cases glands become blocked due to the glands being inflamed (many reasons - s dermatitis, bacteria, etc).

[gilles]

Eyelid inflammation is blepharitis. So all the symptoms associated with blepharitis - puffy eyelids, potential scaling of the surface, flaky skin, blocked glands (even), crusting, lashes missing, demodex, etc.
My understanding is that IPL works by reducing the gland inflammation. In some cases glands become blocked due to the glands being inflamed (many reasons - s dermatitis, bacteria, etc).

For me, it has never been flaky, scaling like. It rather is the at the exterior of the eyelid, where the most lower line of the eyelid (bottom part of the upper eyelid, top part of the bottom eyelid) is a bit swollen en red.

[gilles]

Hi gilles the term "eyelid inflammation" is something I see a lot, but I don't actually know what that physically looks like! How do I check this?

I didn't have a meibography per se, I had infrared images of my eye lids taken, which showed the shape of my lower eye lid glands. The only thing "wrong" that my doctor could see, is that a couple of them weren't straight but rather starting to twist a bit, possibly making it more difficult for oil to flow freely? I don't know. But then she checked the state of the oil by pressing the glands and seeing what kind of consistency the oil is. So I think the imaging shows the shape and length of the glands (atrophy or non atrophy for example), and then manual expression should be carried out afterwards to see the state of the oil coming out. You need both of these things for a full picture I guess!

Oh, I thought a infrared image of the glands was automatically a meibography.
How did they perform manual expression to check the oil? With a squeeze from the fingers in one of the bottom eyelids?
They should use that tool from Donald Korb (where the pressure = pressure of a blink) as a standard, in order to have consistent pressure and results. And do it at both eyes.

I remember now that when doctors do it to my glands they sometime say there is nothing coming out, then one does it at the right eye (good eye) and there comes some oil out. And another doctor who said it came out, but very slowly (so meaning it is thick oil).

[gilles]

5 pulses on each lower eye lid!

And nothing to the upper eyelid? How is the upper eyelid treated then (against inflammation)?
This could, again, prove that the manual expression part is the most important part. And maybe IPL should be done separately from a warm compress with manual expression, but in one session; in order to have melted the meibum or plug with the compress rather than the IPL.

[LindaDawn]

I had my 1st IPL 2 weeks ago. The doctor used a metal tool to express glands both upper and lower lids. It really hurt. She said my oils were a stage 1.

[gilles]

I had my 1st IPL 2 weeks ago. The doctor used a metal tool to express glands both upper and lower lids. It really hurt. She said my oils were a stage 1.

So your oil is of good quality, being as it is 'only' stage 1?
Did they mention a hypothesis of the cause of your dry eyes, knowing the oil is quite good (and no blockages; as I would imagine it'd probably be junk coming out)?
Was there a meibography taken of the glands, to exclude gland atrophy?