I-Brite Eye Whitening with Dr. Boxer Wachler

[Charon]

Hi everyone,
I have seen a few archived threads about this procedure but I wanted to see if anyone had anything to add. Here is an overview of the procedure: http://www.boxerwachler.com/whiteeyes/ It consists of the doctor, um, peeling off your sclera (clear membrane over eyes). Supposedly a "crystal clear memberane without red blood vessels, yellow or brown spots grows back in its place."

I asked my opthamologist about this procedure. He had never heard of it and said it sounded dangerous. What concerns me is that there is no peer-reviewed study on this procedure and I am having a hard time finding some unbiased feedback on personal experiences. I sent in my pictures, and I was told I would be a "great candidate." The cynical side of me thinks that they say that to everyone who sends in pictures. Anyway, I was told it would cost me $4,650 PER eye for the procedure. I live in the midwest so it would be a big commitment to fly all the way out there for a consultation.

Has ANYONE here had this surgery? What was your experience like? How long did recovery take? Are your eyes better than before, or about the same (or worse)? If you could do it again, would you?

Here's some background on me and why I am considering taking such drastic measures:

I am 26 years old, and my eyes have always been sensitive--they would get red after I wore my contacts all day. But once I moved across the country, they got even worse and now they are red all the time, even though I completely stopped wearing my contacts (and eye makeup) about 5 months ago. I use preservative-free eye drops regularly, and I have seen 3 different opthamologists who have given me varying diagnoses from "you have rosacea-associated blepharitis, that's why your eyes are red" to "you wore your contacts too long, so now you have these veins and the blepharitis is continuing to irritate them." The one constant feature is that there is nothing I can do except try to keep my lids clean and take fish oil.

My doctors have said things like "it's not THAT bad" and "oh nobody's eyes are perfectly white, what they do in the movies is all faked." That may be true, but I do know that when I see other people's eyes, they look much healthier than mine. And when I look at old pictures of me (even from just a year ago, before my move) my eyes are so, so much healthier-looking.

I want to get back to "normal" and not feel trapped in my own body behind these "dirty" eyes, but I also realize that this is a serious surgery that hasn't been proven safe (or even effective), and it will cost me $9,300, plus a round-trip plane ticket and hotel (and I'd have to take at least 3 days off from work). So I REALLY would appreciate ANY feedback, good or bad, about your thoughts and/or experiences with this procedure.

Thank you and take care.

[PotatoCakes]

I understand your desire to consider this procedure; I've thought about it myself. What stops me, is that so few people and virtually no one I trust with my eyes have even heard of this surgery. Given the severity of lasik-problems (many seen on this website), I can't help but think that the potential for problems, particularly with a population like us (those with chronic issues already) would be extremely high.

Have you tried serum drops? They won't do away with the redness but I do find that my eyes seem a little less red when I've been using my serum drops regularly. This is an old thread and there are more recent ones but I like it because it covers some of the basics about serum drops http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...ht=serum+drops

[Rebecca Petris]

In a word: scary.

I haven't been on that website in a long time but I thought they used to have prominent information saying something about it being unsuitable for anyone with dry eyes. Or something along those lines. Couldn't find it today.

But what I did find that really disturbed me:

ARE YOU A CANDIDATE? You can e-mail a close-up picture of your eyes to find out if you appear to be a candidate for I-BRITE® Eye Whitening. Simply e-mail to Jen at info@boxerwachler.com and request a "photo review for I-Brite Eye Whitening."

Seriously? I can find out whether I'm a candidate by sending them a PHOTO? As opposed to all my medical records??? Of course they'll presumably require that too later, but I'm sorry, I have real difficulty taking seriously a doctor who advertises a surgical procedure this way.

[robster]

I've never had this procedure done but I've had LASIK and am now dealing with dry eye. If you have sensitive eyes any potential refractive surgery will only make them worse and lead to more sensitivity issues.

[Charon]

I don't think this is considered a refractive surgery, though. That's not to say that it isn't just as dangerous. It would be helpful to hear from someone who has had the procedure done and whether they suffered any side effects.

Part of me wonders if I am a less than ideal candidate because my eyes used to be relatively clear (as of a year ago)--it's not as though this is a permanent condition I've dealt with my whole life. Additionally, I think my redness is caused by rosacea/blepharitis/allergies, so who knows if it would even make a difference? Maybe after the procedure my eyes would go back to being red again. I just wish there was a way to get feedback from those who have had the procedure!

However, I haven't seen any negative postings from people who had the procedure. The only negative feedback I hear is speculation. Which makes me wonder...after all, if people had a bad experience, don't you think they'd be running to the message boards to get their story out? (See, e.g., LASIK patients who now suffer from dry eye).

[Rebecca Petris]

Which makes me wonder...after all, if people had a bad experience, don't you think they'd be running to the message boards to get their story out? (See, e.g., LASIK patients who now suffer from dry eye).

The reason you don't see stories online from I-Brite patients is because so few have had it done. For example:

Suppose there are 20 million people in this country who have moderate to severe dry eye. Only about 5,000 people have joined DryEyeTalk in its 7 years of existence. That's 0.03%. The percentage of LASIK complications patients is probably even smaller I would guess based on my experiences with refractive surgery forums over the years.

Suppose 10,000 people have had I-Brite. 0.03% of 10,000 is 2.5. That's about how many people have posted about it on DryEyeTalk after having it done, I think.

[google me]

[Removed by moderator]

I debated for months before having the procedure and like many of you I was searching for direct patient references. If you go to the I-Brite website and look on the right side there is a link to click to view patient videos. You can see testimonials from people who had the procedure done. Let me know if you have questions.

[alisonW]

google me - what was your diagnosis before the procedure? Dry eyes, allergies, MGD, ocular rosacea, etc. I'm curious about what was causing your redness since mine are always red too. Thanks!

[Rebecca Petris]

I gather you had it very recently. I will be interested to hear how you are in 6 months.

[google me]

google me - what was your diagnosis before the procedure? Dry eyes, allergies, MGD, ocular rosacea, etc. I'm curious about what was causing your redness since mine are always red too. Thanks!

I went to a lot of different doctors and they said it was due to dry eyes. I took that test that measures your tear production and my tears were very low so they suggested the plugs, flax seed oil and restasis. I tried it all but it didn't help I was still left with bloodshot eyes that got progressively red throughout the day. I was using Opcon A 4-6 times a day and yeah I know there is a rebound effect but what could I do..I had lasik a few years back which may have contributed to the dry eyes.

I had bloodshot eyes from morning to night it was a nightmare until I found this procedure.

[alisonW]

Thanks for answering. Same here as far as a "dry eye" diagnosis and having tried everything and the eyes still being red. I will take a look at the site.

[Rebecca Petris]

Funny, all this time and I never actually read a description of what I-Brite actually IS. This time I got curious.

Based on what I read here it's manually excising the scleral conjunctiva and applying MMC, then letting the conj grow back.

Something to keep in mind about this approach (especially if you're considering the, cough, $6k variety) is: What caused, or is causing your redness in the first place? Is the cause ongoing or not.

For those who want to know more about this general type of surgery, please search on conjunctivochalasis. We have had several members over the years who have had surgery for conjunctivochalasis in hopes of dry eye symptom relief (with or without amniotic membrane transplantation). But as far as I know they only had it recommended if they actually had chalasis.

[google me]

I think conjunctiva surgery has been around a long time. Doctor Boxer Wachler has perfected the technique or maybe he has just repackaged what was there all along and specifically marketed it as a white whitening procedure. In any case I think getting rid of that layer with all the yellow or brown spots from sun damage along with those nasty red veins make sense. The membrane is going to regrow itself providing a new healthier looking sclera. I agree the cost is high and everyone has to due their own research and make their own decisions.

Just wanted to offer some insight for anyone considering the procedure. I am here to help.

[Charon]

google me, that's a good point. I have no idea why my eyes suddenly became red, but no treatment is working. I'm guessing it's the result of sun damage (I always wear sunglasses, but I am very fair). My eyes are always red, even when they don't feel dry or hurt. I came on this board because there is no "red eye zone" or anything, and I figured my red eyes were the result of some dry eye problem. I know I have blepharitis, but I have had that for years. Either way, I think I will get the surgery. I know there is a risk that the redness will return, but I want to get a fresh "baseline" because honestly, going through a lifetime of red eyes (I am 26 now) with no hope for a cure is extremely depressing. At least if I do this surgery I'll have a shot at clear eyes again, and I won't spend the rest of my life wondering "what if" the surgery had worked.

I am still a little wary of the procedure, but I am becoming more comfortable with it. It seems like the biggest risks are A) a prolonged recovery, B) lack of results or results that don't last. As far as I know, there are NO patients who reported vision loss or other serious complications. If I got the surgery and suffered awful side effects, you can bet I'd be out there spreading the word.

[Charon]

Also, I'm not so worried about the dry eye side effect. I really don't have "dry eye." My eyes hurt sometimes because of the redness (or they hurt because of something else that causes the redness...) but they really don't feel very dry at all. Healthy tear production most of the time. That's why I think this procedure is a good fit for me. My eyes are more or less healthy (except for the blepharitis that makes my eyelids a bit swollen) but yet they are still red.