IPL with Dr Toyos

[sazy123]

Hey,

so just doing an update.

Unfortunately i do not have good news to report (but im glad autumn does). Nice to meet you BTW very briefly.

Dr T said my secretions looked better and i had responded, and is very surprised that i feel the same. After third treatment im about the same. I know its not going to help now for deffo because he said my glands are open and did a TBUT (which came out at 8 secs) he said this was his end point where most people felt better by now (but i dont). My eyes weren't as bad (again) that day because my throat was somewhat bad, so thats why the TBUT was that high (that number sounds about right because thats what i always thought it must be when my eyes feel ok due to illnesses).

So hes gone down the allergy path again, despite me saying nothing helps for that and i dont think its that. Hes given me elsestat to try, and go back in a week- isnt helping btw.

He agrees its the dialated blood vessels in the inner eyelids causing the prob, but doesnt see the connection of that preventing my MG's working, because dry eye is the symtpom, i have all symptoms of dry eye. He said IPL wont help those vessels because its a different mechanism (this is what i suspected from the start), i did suggest that it was blood vessels but not of outer eyelids, but inner eyelids.

Anyone else who doesnt have blocked glands... im interested to know whether you have inflamed/blood vessels of your inner eyelids??? maybe when this happens it doesnt block the glands just stops them working.

His assistant put in a drop of a glaucoma med (alphagan Sp?), after i said about the blood vessels- as that is what its supposed to reduce. She said they were all gone after that, i had too many drops in before to tell but my eyes felt quite good after that. But i cant stay on this indefinitely, because theres rebound, after this week i will try it and see what happens.

Im learning that dry eye MGD anyway is caused by vascular components, but depending on what component it is depends what treatment is needed. any inflammation in the eye causes it, where ever it is.

[magoo]

I'll second that motion!

[Philipp_from_Germany]

In your face, dry eye disease!!!

[autumnn]

Hi All-
I had my fourth yesterday and Dr. Toyos thought everything looked great. He said that besides having a rosacea outbreak which was causing inflammation in my eyes as well- the glands are pumping well. He did the treatment and then expressed the glands very very very aggressively. I was a little sore for a bit but had a great night afterwards....I actually went out and celebrated and had a pretty "normal" evening- not much thought about my eyes. Dr. Toyos had a few personal suggestions for me (for my overall health which will help my skin and eyes) and thinks that he doesnt need to see me until maintenence which would be a few months away- I may fly to Memphis or go to Dr. Assil and his assistant (she actually did most of the expression and was wonderful and seemed to really know what she was doing)....I think that the Assil Clinic is on top of this treatment and its overall value for patients......
but for now I am going to stop obsessing and let my eyes go. I may not be on this forum for awhile because I want to focus on the rest of my life- I believe that I need to let this work itself out and trust my body- Dr. Toyos believes I have responded so I am going to have faith that as the weeks go on I will only get better.
I encourage others who are getting this treatment to remember everyone is on a different time frame- progress will vary widely among all of us.
Take care everyone!

[irish eyes]

Thanks for this Sazy.


Take care

[sazy123]

Sorry all for being gone so long- I have had some family emergencies that have kept me away from the computer. I was in Utah for a bit and things got worse- it is so dry there and I am allergic to many things there- but now that I am back in California I am able to see the baby steps that my eyes are making. Nothing huge and dramatic- just a feeling that "something" is slowly changing. I can definitely feel the difference between the two eyes that Dr. Toyos observed (the left is crystalized and more blocked) and my right is definitely tolerable. If he is able to get my left caught up with my right then I will be a happy camper. I have my fourth treatment soon and anticipate that I may be one of the ones who needs 6 or maybe even more.....again, I know that there are changes- hard to explain- but they are subtel. With my Wileys on (and in Cali and not Utah) I am almost comfortable....I wake up with less pain too.
I still have faith in this- Dr. Toyos is the first doc to be able to explain the difference between my two eyes and showed my boyfriend the difference in the slit lamp....again, the left eye looked to my boyfriend like it was covered in glitter (the crystalized oil) whereas my left looked smooth.
Anyway, sorry to all who have PM'ed me- I have been so busy since being back. I will post more after the 4th treatment.
Hope you are all taking care......
Sazy-please hang in there- is Dr. Toyos noticing any improvement with your visits/treatments? Each time I see him he notes improvement that is significant and believes that when I get to a certain percentage of functioning glands (with healthy oil) then I will feel comfortable.....

Hi there,

He said the last appointment that the secretions looked better, i have only had two so far... but unles si feel the difference and see it with less inflammation of my inner eyelids i wont believe it, even if he says so... If secretions were better then why is there no difference?

I cant cope with just using one drop of xbrum before bed, my eyes are to painful throughout the day, its just not possible. And i cant wear wileys as they are not my RX.

A couple of months ago... in my inner eyelids i noticed a red spot in the corner of the inner right eyelid... it wasnt there before, its just vascular buildup and its sore... but it looks permanent like the rest of the inflammation in there as its not going away, so my eyes have gotten worse not better (not from IPL- it was there before that).

I just can get a break!
I have my third appointment tomorrow, but my fourth which i made for the 13th of august (2 1/2 weeks after) has been canceled! so now i may have to wait longer... i cant really wait a month between them as i feel that what ever good was done is just being reversed by being out here... And its really hard when they keep canceling them when im from the UK..



The reason as i mentioned in the past, why i dont think this is helping me is whereas most people with MGD have it caused by dialated blood vessels/tanglestia of the outer eyelids leading to the glands, my MGD is being caused by dilated blood vessels of the inner eyelids... and i dont think treating the outer eyelids/face is getting to them. Its not the case with me to get a % of glands open and functioning (my glands actually function when im ill or something else going on due to reduced inner eyelid inflammation).

This treatment does work for those people/blocked glands though another member on here is feeling somewhat better after her first treatment.

Oh Autumn how are you seeing DR toyos after the 25th apparently hes only doing IPL in tennasee for a while.. and in LA someone else is taking over from him??

[irish eyes]

Hi Sazy
Hi Autumn

I will echo everything that has been said by Odydnas.

My regards to you both.

[odydnas]

Sazy, I am sorry to hear that you are not experiencing improvement. Did Dr. Toyos recommend any more treatments? You situation is a bit unique...was Dr. Toyos able to diagnose you and suggest any other treatments? I wish you much luck and am sending virtual hugs your way. Please hang in there and try not to let your eyes completely ruin all the bit of fun you are having in LA. I know its easier said than done...

Autumn, I hope everything is alright now with your family. Thank you for updating us despite your family emergencies and busy schedule. I am so happy to hear that you are doing better! Did Dr. Toyos say that you will have significant improvement such that you will be comfortable in Utah someday? Because that would be amazing. Thanks again for the update!

[autumnn]

Sorry all for being gone so long- I have had some family emergencies that have kept me away from the computer. I was in Utah for a bit and things got worse- it is so dry there and I am allergic to many things there- but now that I am back in California I am able to see the baby steps that my eyes are making. Nothing huge and dramatic- just a feeling that "something" is slowly changing. I can definitely feel the difference between the two eyes that Dr. Toyos observed (the left is crystalized and more blocked) and my right is definitely tolerable. If he is able to get my left caught up with my right then I will be a happy camper. I have my fourth treatment soon and anticipate that I may be one of the ones who needs 6 or maybe even more.....again, I know that there are changes- hard to explain- but they are subtel. With my Wileys on (and in Cali and not Utah) I am almost comfortable....I wake up with less pain too.
I still have faith in this- Dr. Toyos is the first doc to be able to explain the difference between my two eyes and showed my boyfriend the difference in the slit lamp....again, the left eye looked to my boyfriend like it was covered in glitter (the crystalized oil) whereas my left looked smooth.
Anyway, sorry to all who have PM'ed me- I have been so busy since being back. I will post more after the 4th treatment.
Hope you are all taking care......
Sazy-please hang in there- is Dr. Toyos noticing any improvement with your visits/treatments? Each time I see him he notes improvement that is significant and believes that when I get to a certain percentage of functioning glands (with healthy oil) then I will feel comfortable.....

[sanna]

So sorry to hear that it is not working for you, But now you know. Try to think positive and not so much negative (do not know if that is a word in english). I know it is not easy. One day there will be a cure. I really have to believe that.

[sazy123]

No improvement at all.

I dont think this is going to help me tbh, i will carry on but i kind of know it wont because theres no change in the blood vessles/redness of inner eyelids and that is causing the dry eye. DR T said you cant just blame it on one thing- but my glands arent blocked (as he said) and my skin isnt even bad..... so what can i blame it on??? there is only one thing amiss and thats the inner eyelids. plus the fact that when that redness goes down when im ill my eyes feel and look good.

I just think ive got a different thing causing my gland disorder than most people who have it, my glands dont get blocked and its caused by blood vessels on inner eyelids rather than outer/around/blocked glands- thats prob why this helps other people.

This is it for me i think nothing is going to help, EVER, before i had hope now i have no hope, im only 24 i dont want to live like this for the rest of my life!

Im still in LA and the only way im surviving is if i make my throat abit bad, drink alchole and wear big aviator sunglasses, actually im having a decent time out here because i met this guy (who apparently loves me, its been a while) he wants me to stay out here and marry me... but i was counting on my eyes improving, so i guess that will amount to nothing! my eyes RUIN everything.

[odydnas]

Any updates Autumn or Sazy?

[Meebo]

autumn

whats the update autumn?

[irish eyes]

Thanks for letting us know Sazy.

As Odydnas said - hang in there.

(More virtual hugs coming your way.)

[sazy123]

regarding the gunk, i emailed him if it was an infection and he didnt get back to me, but now its all gone i assume it wasn't.

He said that i had more secretions and thinks im responding, but wasnt 'you definitely are' or anything. The fact that my glands aren't blocked and younger people respond quicker (after 1st or 2nd) and i havent isnt really filling me with hope.