iLux: Introducing The New Treatment to Treat Dry Eye
Do you wake up in the morning with gritty, irritated eyes? Do they water all the time? Throughout the day, you may flood them with artificial tears to relieve the dry eye feeling. By the end of the day, you are doing warm compresses to help release oil from your blocked-up oil glands. If any of these sound familiar to you, you may be suffering from Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).
Symptoms of Dry Eye
- Blurred Vision
- Vision varies throughout the day
- Redness
- Burning or Itching
- A gritty feeling of your eyes
- Increased tearing
- Light sensitivity or pain
Our tears are composed of three layers:
1. Oily Layer: This layer keeps the surface of your eyes smooth and stops your tears from drying out too fast. The meibomian glands are responsible for producing the oil layer of your tear film.
2. Watery (Aqueous) Layer: The water layer is in the middle of the tear film. This layer is made by the lacrimal glands.
3. Mucus Layer: This layer is produced by your conjunctiva. The mucus layer is responsible for spreading the tears around your eyes.
When you are suffering from aqueous dry eye, your lacrimal glands are unable to produce quality tears. This can be due to a number of reasons such as gland damage, medications, and medical conditions (such as Sjogren’s Syndrome). Also, as you age your tear production slows down.
If you have MGD, your meibomian glands are not secreting oil. This can be due to poor quality or the oil is too thick. This allows tears to evaporate quickly and your eyes will become dry.
What is Meibomian Gland Dysfunction?
Meibomian Gland Dysfunction is the most common type of dry eye. 86% of dry eye sufferers reported to have symptoms of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction.
Every time you blink, a protective layer of moisture called the tear film coats the front surface of your eye. An essential part of the tear film is an oily layer called meibum. MGD occurs when the meibomian glands that produce meibum get blocked or the meibum is of poor quality—leading to evaporative tear loss. If left untreated, MGD can result in decreased meibomian gland functionality. Therefore, the goal of treatment is to unblock the meibomian glands, ultimately helping to restore healthy tear film.
Treatments for Dry Eye
For mild to moderate dry eye, over-the-counter (OTC) preservative free drops such as Hylo or Hyabak can be used. As the severity increases prescription eye drops and ointment can alleviate the discomfort. Your doctor may have also recommended Omega-3 supplements, lid cleaning and warm compresses.
Chronic or severe dry eye requires advanced in-office treatment such as the iLux treatment.
How can iLux help?
The iLux MGD Thermal Pulsation System delivers treatment directly to the blocked meibomian glands with the goal of clearing any obstructions. Treatment of both eyes takes approximately 8-12 minutes. Clinical studies have shown the iLux increases meibomian gland function by 300% at 4 weeks post- treatment compared to baseline. If you regularly use eye drops of have symptoms such as eye dryness and irritation, ask your doctor to evaluate your symptoms. The iLux treatment is safe to be performed multiple times if needed, and is an individual in-office treatment for dry eye.
If you are suffering from the symptoms or have chronic dry eye/MGD:
Call us at 519-473-3937 and schedule a Dry Eye Consultation today.
