About 16 million Americans have dry eye, a common problem that makes your eyes red, itchy, and irritated. Dry eye doesn’t pose a permanent threat to your vision, but it can be very uncomfortable.
If you have dry eye, your eyes aren’t as lubricated as they should be. Eyes naturally produce tears to keep the surface moist and comfortable, but sometimes they don’t produce enough high-quality tears and dry eye develops.
Make sure you know this: You don’t have to suffer the symptoms of dry eye. Our team at Pacific Eye specializes in diagnosing dry eye and relieving symptoms with LipiFlow®, a safe and effective in-office treatment.
LipiFlow treats meibomian gland dysfunction
Meibomian gland dysfunction is the medical term for one of the most common causes of dry eye. If you have this condition, your tears are too watery. The tears evaporate quickly and leave you with dry, uncomfortable eyes.
Your upper and lower eyelids have meibomian glands, which secrete lipids (oils). When you blink, the lipids spread across the surface of your eyes to protect and lubricate them.
Meibomian gland dysfunction develops when those glands get blocked. Lipids can’t mix with your tears, and as a result, your tears evaporate too fast and dry out your eyes.
You might have meibomian gland dysfunction if you experience:
- Dryness
- Itching
- Burning
- Crust around eyes
- Excessive watering
- Light sensitivity
- Redness
- Blurry vision
- Feeling like something is stuck in your eye
LipiFlow treats meibomian gland dysfunction by unblocking the oil glands. Removing the blockages allows those essential lipids back into your tears to keep your eyes moisturized.
What to expect during LipiFlow treatment
At Pacific Eye, our team specializes in dry eye exams. We review your symptoms and examine your eyes to determine what’s causing your symptoms. If we identify meibomian gland dysfunction, we might recommend LipiFlow to stimulate healthy tear production.
LipiFlow is a gentle treatment that takes just 12 minutes in our office. We may put numbing eye drops in your eyes to keep you comfortable, but the device never touches your eyeballs.
You sit back and our team places the single-use applicators over your eyes. The activators are dome-shaped and specially designed to protect your eyes, and the treatment focuses on your inner eyelids.
LipiFlow treatment uses heat and gentle, massaging pressure to remove blockages in your meibomian glands. This combination softens blockages and clears the glands so your tears contain lipids again.
After treatment, your tears will contain more lipids, so they don’t evaporate too quickly. You can expect to notice a difference in the way your eyes feel in about 6-8 weeks.
LipiFlow helps lubricate your eyes by increasing the amount of lipids in your tears and on the surface of your eyes. The results of your LipiFlow treatment can last up to two years, and you can choose to have another treatment at that time.
Are you looking for LipiFlow treatment at one of our office locations? Contact our team at Pacific Eye or request an appointment online now.
