IPL success!!

[KittyCat]

She does, yes!!

[jack1988]

Hi everyone,

I just want to give a good news story!

I have MGD (diagnosed just 4 months ago), I'm 33 and I was so scared when it first happened. My NHS optometrist just told me to use eye drops and hot compresses, but when I came across this forum I realised I needed to take my own action and pay to see a private specialist.
I went to BBR in Hereford who were brilliant. They did a bunch of diagnostic tests and really listened to me and calmed my anxiety.
My TBUT was 3 seconds in my left eye and 6 in my right, and my oil was like butter. Not great! I didn't need Lipiflow as my glands are all open, just very sluggish.

I did my first IPL last Wednesday, and in the last 6 days I've used eye drops maybe 6 times in total. Down from about 4-6 times per day! My eyes feel 95% normal. I no longer have stinging and burning in my eyes, except a handful of days where I stay up too late, which I will happily take.
And this is after the first treatment! They said I probably won't feel any improvement until my 3rd session but I feel a huge improvement to the point that I am no longer thinking about my eyes except pure joy.
I have read up on it, and some people are considered early responders and will feel the benefit straight away, it seems that's me!
For all of those who think they can't be treated, please please please consider IPL!
I'm no longer depressed and anxious, I feel great.

All I'm doing at the moment is my relaxing hot compresses twice a day, and using EvoTears once or twice a day if I need to (but mostly no drops at all). I wear EyeSeals 4.0 to bed, and that's it!

It's only because of this forum that I took matters into my own hands and paid for private care, and I'm so glad I did.

I'll update again after my second session.

Good luck everyone

Cat xx

Hi Kitty,

Does your eye doctor express the top and bottom lids?

[jack1988]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to give another update as it's been a while. Well, I haven't used eye drops at all for over a month now! I'm working fulltime as a proofreader and my eyes are fine sitting in front of 2 computer screens doing close-up work. I do wear moisture chamber glasses most days (Ziena), which, if you haven't already looked into them, I HIGHLY recommend. I think these should be one of the first things to invest in before any medical procedures.

I'm also on a keto diet (more for weight loss and general health more than for my eyes), and I do wonder if this is helping with inflammation now that I no longer consume sugar and processed/refined carbs.

I no longer do warm compresses as I really don't feel the need; if anything I'll do a cold compress when me eyes feel tired and have that slight stingy feeling.

In terms of IPL maintenence, my eye doctor doesn't expect to see me for another year as she's said my eyes are looking great now!

Apart from at the end of the day (or if I've had less than 7 hours of sleep) when my eyes feel a bit tired and sore, I have experienced zero symptoms of dry eye for over 2 months now.
Please guys, don't think you won't get better and get obsessed with reading this Forum from start to finish like I did. That got to such an obsessive pattern for me. I'm happier now than I've been in a long time.

I would also like to say, I'm still taking 10mg Celexa/Citalopram (an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety pill) and this is having absolutely no impact on how my eyes feel whatsoever. Don't be afraid to reach out if you need it.

I hope everyone is doing ok in these strange and uncertain times. I do understand that everyone's situation is uniequ, and I don't want to suggest that what has happened to me will definitely happen to you. But I'm also very mindful that the positive stories are few and far between on this forum. So I'm just trying to restore a bit of balance.

If anyone has any questions, or just wants to reach out, please ask/send me a message

Cat

For some reason my reply will not post

[jack1988]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to give another update as it's been a while. Well, I haven't used eye drops at all for over a month now! I'm working fulltime as a proofreader and my eyes are fine sitting in front of 2 computer screens doing close-up work. I do wear moisture chamber glasses most days (Ziena), which, if you haven't already looked into them, I HIGHLY recommend. I think these should be one of the first things to invest in before any medical procedures.

I'm also on a keto diet (more for weight loss and general health more than for my eyes), and I do wonder if this is helping with inflammation now that I no longer consume sugar and processed/refined carbs.

I no longer do warm compresses as I really don't feel the need; if anything I'll do a cold compress when me eyes feel tired and have that slight stingy feeling.

In terms of IPL maintenence, my eye doctor doesn't expect to see me for another year as she's said my eyes are looking great now!

Apart from at the end of the day (or if I've had less than 7 hours of sleep) when my eyes feel a bit tired and sore, I have experienced zero symptoms of dry eye for over 2 months now.
Please guys, don't think you won't get better and get obsessed with reading this Forum from start to finish like I did. That got to such an obsessive pattern for me. I'm happier now than I've been in a long time.

I would also like to say, I'm still taking 10mg Celexa/Citalopram (an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety pill) and this is having absolutely no impact on how my eyes feel whatsoever. Don't be afraid to reach out if you need it.

I hope everyone is doing ok in these strange and uncertain times. I do understand that everyone's situation is uniequ, and I don't want to suggest that what has happened to me will definitely happen to you. But I'm also very mindful that the positive stories are few and far between on this forum. So I'm just trying to restore a bit of balance.

If anyone has any questions, or just wants to reach out, please ask/send me a message

Cat

How long have you been using the moisture chamber glasses? I think i may look into buying some. Can you recommend a place to buy them?

[KittyCat]

Hi Cat, would you mind sharing what Seabuck Thorn brand you use?

I use Nature's Aid!

[KittyCat]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to give another update as it's been a while. Well, I haven't used eye drops at all for over a month now! I'm working fulltime as a proofreader and my eyes are fine sitting in front of 2 computer screens doing close-up work. I do wear moisture chamber glasses most days (Ziena), which, if you haven't already looked into them, I HIGHLY recommend. I think these should be one of the first things to invest in before any medical procedures.

I'm also on a keto diet (more for weight loss and general health more than for my eyes), and I do wonder if this is helping with inflammation now that I no longer consume sugar and processed/refined carbs.

I no longer do warm compresses as I really don't feel the need; if anything I'll do a cold compress when me eyes feel tired and have that slight stingy feeling.

In terms of IPL maintenence, my eye doctor doesn't expect to see me for another year as she's said my eyes are looking great now!

Apart from at the end of the day (or if I've had less than 7 hours of sleep) when my eyes feel a bit tired and sore, I have experienced zero symptoms of dry eye for over 2 months now.
Please guys, don't think you won't get better and get obsessed with reading this Forum from start to finish like I did. That got to such an obsessive pattern for me. I'm happier now than I've been in a long time.

I would also like to say, I'm still taking 10mg Celexa/Citalopram (an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety pill) and this is having absolutely no impact on how my eyes feel whatsoever. Don't be afraid to reach out if you need it.

I hope everyone is doing ok in these strange and uncertain times. I do understand that everyone's situation is uniequ, and I don't want to suggest that what has happened to me will definitely happen to you. But I'm also very mindful that the positive stories are few and far between on this forum. So I'm just trying to restore a bit of balance.

If anyone has any questions, or just wants to reach out, please ask/send me a message

Cat

[KittyCat]

[KittyCat]

Hi everyone! For some reason, my last reply to this thread is not posting, and greened out. So I've taken a screenshot of it and I'll post it here so you can still read it!

[Penny_lane]

Hi Penny! How did your IPL go?

I'm so glad to hear that my posts were helping you!
My doctor said she won't send me a letter until 12 months time, but obviously if I feel I want to see her sooner then by all means I can just book an appointment. But yep, 12 months for me!

Seabuck Thorn: 2 softgels per day (not sure what the dosage equates to)
Zinc: 50mg per day
Vitamin D: 3000iu
Omega-3: 1000mg per day


Cat xx

Hi Cat,

I just finished my last IPL a week ago and my eyes have felt almost normal for the past week! I was getting discouraged because I wasn’t noticing improvement until this last session but finally it must have kicked in! It’s strange though because my glands are still pretty clogged according to my doctor so I am having TearCare next week to help unclog them. I think the IPL really helped my inflammation so I’m hoping that will allow my glands to keep functioning after TearCare and help me feel even better. I will do a post on my progress after my 1 month follow up appointment next month.

thanks for sharing your supplement dosages, and glad to hear you most likely will only have to get IPL once a year. That’s great!

Penny

[jack1988]

Hi Penny! How did your IPL go?

I'm so glad to hear that my posts were helping you!
My doctor said she won't send me a letter until 12 months time, but obviously if I feel I want to see her sooner then by all means I can just book an appointment. But yep, 12 months for me!

Seabuck Thorn: 2 softgels per day (not sure what the dosage equates to)
Zinc: 50mg per day
Vitamin D: 3000iu
Omega-3: 1000mg per day


Cat xx

Hi Cat, would you mind sharing what Seabuck Thorn brand you use?

[KittyCat]

Hi everyone! I just wanted to give another update as it's been a while. Well, I haven't used eye drops at all for over a month now! I'm working fulltime as a proofreader and my eyes are fine. I do wear moisture chamber glasses moist days, which, if you haven't already looked into them, I HIGHLY suggest you do! I think these should be one of the first things to try before any medical procedures. I'm also on a keto diet (more for weight loss and general health than anything), and I wonder if this also helps as I am consuming almost no sugar and no refined carbs.
I no longer do warm compresses as I don't think I need them, if anything I'll do a cold compress when I feel my eyes getting a bit tired.

In terms of maintenence IPL treatments, my eye doctor doesn't expect to see me for another year as she said my eyes are great now!

Apart from at the end of the day when my eyes feel a little sore and tired, I have experienced zero symptoms of dry eye for over 2 months now.
Please guys, don't think you won't get better and get obsessed with reading this Forum from start to finish like I did. It made me suicidal. I'm happier now than I've been in a long time.

I would also like to say, I'm taking an anti-depressant and this is having ZERO impact on my eyes. Don't be afraid to reach out for help if you need it.

I hope everyone is doing ok. I do understand that everyone's situation is unique, and I don't want to suggest that what has happened to me will definitely happen to you. But I'm also very mindful that the positive stories are very few and far between on this forum. So I'm trying to restore a bit of balance.

If anyone has any questions, please ask.

Cat xx

[KittyCat]

Hi KittyCat ,

Thank you so much for posting this. You are giving me hope! I been following this thread and it's one of the reasons I decided to try IPL. I have 4 sessions scheduled, the first one is next week.

Did your doctor say about needing maintenance IPL treatments and how often? I have heard various lengths of time on this and curious about what your doctor thinks.

Also are you willing to share what dosage you are taking of the Seabuckthorn, Zinc, Vitamin D and Omega-3?

Thanks again!
Penny

Hi Penny! How did your IPL go?

I'm so glad to hear that my posts were helping you!
My doctor said she won't send me a letter until 12 months time, but obviously if I feel I want to see her sooner then by all means I can just book an appointment. But yep, 12 months for me!

Seabuck Thorn: 2 softgels per day (not sure what the dosage equates to)
Zinc: 50mg per day
Vitamin D: 3000iu
Omega-3: 1000mg per day


Cat xx

[Member]

You are lucky. I still have not tried IPL (because of the price) maybe I should read up about it.

[orange86]

i had lipiflow and ipl dont at BBR in Hereford in jan 2020. I had no relief as glands blocked up soon after
i dont think they could offer me much more hope sadly. I'm on a keto diet to see if that reduces inflammation.

[Notsure]

Warm compresses are needed to people who have malfunctioning meibom. glands, in order to not get blockages. In most cases it is a thing you will have to keep doing to maintain your situation (if your skin type is the cause of the malfunction).
It might be that it takes several weeks for the warm compresses to take effect (firm blockages that need a lot of heat and or unplugging via massage/expression), and that by doing it over a prolonged time the glands start to function normally again; but this topic is still in research, so even for so called experts I think a lot is still hypothesis. Myself, I found doing warm compresses and massages helps, but it is really a journey of experimenting which compresses/heat and massaging has the best effect.

Thx! Could you recommend a warm compress? I use a USB heated mask