MG probing by Dr ******

[Ked]

Hello,

Just want to post a link to an interesting article. It is about a potential new technique to physically unclog meibomian glands.

http://www.ophmanagement.com/article...article=103161

Anyone heard of that ?

[irish eyes]

Thanks for this.

An interesting article - presumably the eye would be numbed a little before the probe was used?

The description of `heavy lids, irritation, gummy lids and lid awareness..' certainly applies to me....

[stephgurl1986]

Sounds great, so I can choose between IPL and this procedure in the future? Anyway, I really need a treatment!!! So good news!
How often does it need to be done?

[Lucy]

Wasn't that picture something?

[clairvoyant]

"I am evaluating intraductal pharmaceutical injection using tubes that can be inserted through the orifice"

neat

[Merricat]

Finally something that might offer longer term relief. Now I just hope that it does in fact prove to be safe and successful in the long term and that it comes to a doctor's office near me!

[djb]

Contacted Dr. ******/office and it will cost me at least two grand for a one day visit to get my MGs probed/tested/initial visit/transportation from Baltimore/food etc. (out of network). I'm sure it will bring relief, but for how long??? It would be nice to get a little oil on the eyes before winter starts. I forget what that feels like! Dr. ****** is on the right track I believe. I've started to email local doctor offices to let them know of his procedure. His procedure is available now to doctors around the country. They can order his instructional video and instrumentation through Rhein Medical. Here's a link to the instructional video (looks less painful than the 'fugo blade' from India video):

http://www.rheinmedical.com/search/i...1551&class_id=

[Gretchen]

I agree. I think that mechanical treatments of the MGs - this and also IPL have a lot of promise. The explanation of deeper MG obstruction really makes sense to me. I heated the heck out of my eyes for 2 years and have seen pretty much no benefit. And for those of us with ocular rosacea, neovasculature obstruction just makes more sense to me than the surface keratinization argument.

This looks good.
Gretchen

[kkahthesea]

I'd love to hear someone's first hand experience with this procedure. I'd love to have this done but I'm wondering if it really works. Where does the waxy meibum go when he pushes in with the probe? Does he pull the gunk out or does it just get pressed and compacted up into the gland? Does anything in there get damaged or irritated (inflamed) in the process? Does it hurt?
If this really works it would be a huge relief to many, many people.
djb...I sent you a PM

[Lucy]

I'm sure it will bring relief, but for how long???

Me playing devils advocate: How can you be sure it will bring relief? The "how long" question is a gem too. 5 minutes, 5 months, 5 years.

I'd love to hear someone's first hand experience with this procedure. I'd love to have this done but I'm wondering if it really works

Me playing devils advocate: You'd love to have this done, but at what possible cost? I wanted Lasik, too. My bad results are with me 10 years later. "Everybody" was just lovin' their new vision.

I'm just telling people to slow down and have these doctor's prove some of their "new" inventions. As the request for Lasik and other eye surgeries decrease, the docs are thinking up new ways to make money. Sure, it's to help the poor patient with painful dry eyes. After all, that's the doc's line of specialty. Many of those patients started with refractive surgery at the hands of those same doctors. Not all! Some ophths do not do refractive surgery and only treat dry eyes and the like. Lucy

[djb]

Lucy,

Dr. Tseng tested me in 2004 and showed me with his tests that my MG's are 100% 'constipated'. After communicating with Dr ****** and his staff, immediate relief was experienced by the patients who qualified for this procedure. According to the video, some patients needed reopened after 4 months but most were found to be opened after 11 months. If my local doctor could learn this procedure, I'd be willing to pay my copay a couple times a year, if needed, to keep the MG's unclogged. I'm holding off the travel to Florida until I ask some local doctors if they would be interested in this procedure.....djb....

[dianat]

Aw Luce, you just don't like Dr. ******.

[Lucy]

Nope, it's 10 years experience looking at (for) cures to this stuff. djb sounds like you're doing your homework. I'm always playing devil's advocate. So many os us are desperate for a cure, we don't necessarily think through all the pros and cons. Good luck with yours. Lucy

PS. Diana, don't you have 4 kids to look after? Instead of exposing me on this board?

[tennisiu]

I think Lucy is correct. I was desperate for help and made the trip to see
Dr ******. Dr ****** has a great website and wrote a very good book about dry eye. I am not going to get into details, but I spent a lot of money and time for nothing to see Dr ******. I might as well went out and bough a boat load of lottery tickets($$$). At least then I would have had a slight chance of getting something for my money. I believe Dr ****** is taking advantage of people that have DES. I feel like I was conned at the county fair.

The good news is that I have learned my lesson. I was brought up to trust doctors. I have lost that trust and will be very careful before proceeding down that path again.

[mike838]

It looks like a neat procedure but my question is is it any more benifitial then the gland expressions that other dry eye drs do? It would make sense that they are plugged down deep my dr has told me mine are too then he expresses the glands getting what he calls a toothpaste like substance out. So my thought are that for the 200 it costs to have that done is the 2000 of this procedure going to give more results for longer? I too contacted dr ****** about this procedure and I would spend the money if I knew it honestly had a shot of working but I feel I might be getting the same treatment with expressions that this offers? Any thoughts?