IPL treatment.

[pythonidler]

Hi pythonidler

Scar Tissue
How do we know if we have scar tissue or not? Only dr knows, right?
I asked one dr if probing, BlephEx, IPL, expression would help me. Yes, he said.
But the one who performs the first 2 said NO, I dont need them (he did tell me ALL my glands are OPEN (after LipiFlow).
so confusing! Now I need to visit another dr - which takes nearly 7 hrs for the round trip. Thanks!

If your doctor has the imaging device and the ability to recognize scar tissue, your doctor will know. On my next visit, I will ask him what machine he used to detect scar tissue. And I might use the imaging device again, just to make sure that no new scar tissue is forming.

You say that a doctor who can do probing said you don't need it? If he did, then I would probably trust him on that.

[pythonidler]

could you also explain how come you had scar tissue? Thanks

My guess is that the chronic inflammation causes the scar tissue to form over the glands. I never really asked my doctor why, I was mostly just interested in if it worked or not. I asked him what % of patients had reported significant improvement after probing, and he told me about 90%.

[pythonidler]

I will give it some thought but it involves more travel and more expense! And the procedure seems quite invasive. Where did you the probing done pythonider?

Yes, I will grant you that probing is more invasive than any other meibomian gland procedure (e.g., Lipiflow, IPL, etc.). And it was quite painful as well. But it has definitely helped to get the oil flowing again, when nothing else really did. My doctor believes that probing should be a one-time procedure - you do it once to clear the scar tissue, then you can manage your MGD with regular Lipiflow or IPL treatments.

[pythonidler]

I will give it some thought but it involves more travel and more expense! And the procedure seems quite invasive. Where did you the probing done pythonider?

I got it done in Boston by my doctor. There certainly aren't a whole lot of doctors who do it, though.

Your best bet to find a doctor who does it is probably to call the manufacturer of the probes; they should have a list of all the doctors who've purchased a kit. I'm not sure who the manufacturer is, however, if someone else here could enlighten me.

[lizzyk]

Have you looked into meibomian gland probing? The first few IPL treatments that I had weren't effective because I had scar tissue over the glands. Now that I've had probing done to clear the scar tissue, IPL has been more effective for me.

could you also explain how come you had scar tissue? Thanks

[MGD1701]

Hi pythonidler

Scar Tissue
How do we know if we have scar tissue or not? Only dr knows, right?
I asked one dr if probing, BlephEx, IPL, expression would help me. Yes, he said.
But the one who performs the first 2 said NO, I dont need them (he did tell me ALL my glands are OPEN (after LipiFlow).
so confusing! Now I need to visit another dr. Thanks!

[lizzyk]

I will give it some thought but it involves more travel and more expense! And the procedure seems quite invasive. Where did you the probing done pythonider?

[pythonidler]

Have you looked into meibomian gland probing? The first few IPL treatments that I had weren't effective because I had scar tissue over the glands. Now that I've had probing done to clear the scar tissue, IPL has been more effective for me.

[lizzyk]

Update: I have had 6 IPL treatments - the last one a few weeks ago - unfortunately i cannot report any noticeable difference so far (though i was told that some people can take up to six months to notice an improvement) - i am extremely disappointed not only with the fact that so far this treatment has not worked for me but also how much it has cost me - in terms of the treatment and the considerable travelling expenses I was told that my glands are smaller than normal (?) and even though some were producing oil - it was not enough to keep my eyes lubricated. Some are not working at all and cannot be improved.
I maintain my routine of cleaning every morning with Blepasol and the use of Hylo Forte eye drops as often as i need them during the day, i have also increased my omega to 3 1000mg capsules a day and i use a heated eyebag for 10 minutes daily followed by lid massage. I have recently been prescribed Ikervis by my NHS consultant but i have only been using these drops for a couple of weeks so too early to tell if any improvement, the dosage is one drop at bedtime and it can sting! I still have to avoid long periods looking at the computer/laptop screen, no eye make up and not getting enough sleep!