What Is the OptiLight by Lumenis & How Can It Manage Your Dry Eye?
Dry eye disease is a widespread and common issue for up to 49 million Americans. This chronic condition can have a significant impact on your quality of life, causing a foreign body sensation in your eyes, pain, blurry vision, and dry or watery eyes. Untreated, it can even lead to further eye health complications.
Despite these constant detrimental effects on quality of life, many dry eye sufferers are not aware that they’re suffering from dry eye disease or that real treatments exist. Instead, they just live with the discomfort.
At Heartland Eye Consultants, we are committed to helping our patients achieve the relief they need from dry eyes by utilizing the most effective modern dry eye technology and diagnostic methods. We use an Oculus Keratograph to perform non-invasive tear break-up, perform tear film measurements, and conduct Meibographies.
Our practice utilizes a TearLab and InflammaDry — the TearLab measures the osmolarity of tears and the Inflammadry measures MMP-9 (an inflammatory enzyme for dry eye). We also use special dyes to assess the surface of the eye and perform careful slit-lamp examinations to determine the etiology of dry eye disease for our patients.
We’re proud to offer OptiLight by Lumenis to our patients, specially designed for dry eye management.
What Is OptiLight by Lumenis?
OptiLight by Lumenis is a light-based, non-invasive treatment done in the area below the eyes to manage dry eye. The first and only IPL FDA-approved for dry eye management.
The treatment is safe, gentle, and is backed by more than 20 clinical studies.
How Does It Work?
OptiLight uses precise pulses of light to reduce the inflammation that is typically associated with dry eye disease, improve tear break-up time, and increase meibomian gland functionality.
This application can significantly relieve dry eye indicators and has a multi-factorial effect, including:
- Increasing tear break-up time
- Reducing the amount of demodex mites and bacteria living around your eyes
- Eliminating blood vessels that contribute to inflammation
- Improving meibomian gland functionality
What to Expect Before Your Treatment
Prior to your first appointment, ensure that you are avoiding direct sun exposure and tanning beds — also make sure to wear sunscreen when you are outside. Avoid wearing makeup or skin products near the treatment area on the day of your appointment.
You should expect to be at our office for about 2 hours; this encompasses the complete dry eye assessment and all testing. We will spend the time to get a thorough patient history and determine the cause of your dry eyes.
During Your Treatment
This treatment is fast and simple. During the treatment your doctor will apply a coupling gel on the treatment area and cover your eyes with shields.
As light is applied to the skin, you may experience a warm sensation. The treatment is gentle with minimum discomfort. The treatment itself will only take 10–15 minutes.
OptiLight is often followed by meibomian gland expression.
After Your Treatment
Our staff has a great amount of experience in treating dry eyes and can get you back to your daily routine as quickly as possible — after the conclusion of your treatment session, you will be able to return to daily life with no discomfort. You may notice some redness near the treatment area, but this is completely normal and will subside. OptiLight treatment is non-intrusive and will not require a long period of rest immediately following your appointment.
Part of Your Custom Treatment Plan
A course of treatment typically includes 4 sessions spaced 2–4 weeks apart. If you have completed all 4 treatment sessions, you will be recommended to attend regular maintenance treatments every 6–12 months. You and your eye doctor can discuss the frequency of treatments at your initial consultation — it is possible that you may require more treatments than other patients due to certain factors.
Will the OptiLight by Lumenis Work for Me?
While OptiLight by Lumenis is an effective dry eye management solution, we want to make sure it’s right for you. We do not recommend this treatment if you:
- Suffer from aqueous deficiency dry eye (rather than evaporative dry eye or meibomian gland dysfunction)
- Have a history of keloid scarring
- Have severe scarring around your eyes
Ultimately, your doctor is the only person who can determine whether this option is right for you. During your next appointment, ask us if you are a good candidate for OptiLight by Lumenis.
You Don’t Have to Live With Dry Eye Anymore
Dry, irritated eyes can be managed with a new treatment that brings comfort and can restore quality of life. Visit your eye doctor to get an accurate diagnosis and a treatment plan tailored to your needs.
