People living with dry eye syndrome can experience chronic eye discomfort, irritation, a foreign body sensation, continuous tearing, red eyes, discharge and more. Eventually, these symptoms can start to affect quality of life and make it difficult to perform daily tasks like reading, working and driving.
New York eye surgeon Dr. Sandra Belmont of Belmont Eye Center has good news for people with dry eye: an in-office treatment called LipiFlow can provide significant relief from symptoms and restore the eyes to good health. Read on to learn more about the treatment.
LipiFlow is designed for cases of dry eye caused by a malfunction of the meibomian glands (which make up the majority of cases). These glands produce oils that prevent tears from evaporating off the surface of the eyes. When these glands become blocked or develop another abnormality, tears evaporate too quickly and lead to dry eye syndrome.
LipiFlow works by carefully clearing blocked meibomian glands so they can resume normal oil production. Through a combination of heat and gentle pressure, LipiFlow opens the blocked glands so the tears can nourish and moisturize the eyes.
During a treatment session, the LipiFlow device is placed over the eyelid. The system applies heat to the eyelids to melt waxy deposits in the meibomian glands. Gentle pulses of pressure are simultaneously applied to the eyelids to help express the contents of the glands. Treatment takes about 12 minutes.
Many people see results after a single LipiFlow treatment, although a series of treatments may be recommended in certain cases.
LipiFlow is only effective in cases where the meibomian glands are blocked. These cases are more likely to affect adults over the age of 40, people from Asian countries (specifically, Thailand, Japan and China) and contact lens wearers.
Only an experienced ophthalmologist can determine the cause of your dry eye symptoms and help you find the best course of treatment.
If you are interested in the LipiFlow system to reduce or eliminate the symptoms of dry eye, Dr. Belmont would be happy to discuss the treatment in more detail during a consultation. Please call (212) 486-2020 or email Belmont Eye Center to make your appointment.
