What Is the OptiLight by Lumenis & How Can It Manage Your Dry Eye?
One of our latest treatment additions is OptiLight IPL therapy, which can help alleviate dry eye symptoms caused by meibomian gland disease. We’re proud to offer OptiLight by Lumenis to our patients, specially designed for dry eye management. We are the first office in San Francisco and the Bay Area to offer this new technology.
What Is OptiLight by Lumenis?
OptiLight by Lumenis is a light-based, non-invasive treatment done in the area below and above 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. IPL vaporizes or cauterizes the abnormal vessels (or telangiectasia) at or under the surface of the skin. Those abnormal blood vessels leak inflammatory mediators which in turn contribute to the obstruction of the Meibomian Glands. 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
Optimal Results in a just a few short sessions
Who will benefit from IPL?
Patients with blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), evaporative dry eyes, ocular rosacea, those with recurrent styes (hordeolums) and chalazions.
What's the Goal of IPL?
By cauterizing those feeder vessels, we tend to see a reduction in the inflammatory cascade and a reduction of the telangiectasia on the eye lid margin. Therefore, improvement in obstructive MGD.
What are the full Ocular Aesthetic benefits of IPL?
The ocular benefits include stimulating the oil glands, reducing inflammation, and eradicating demodex mites. The aesthetic benefits include tightening the collagen in the skin as well as treating age spots, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles.
During Your Treatment
It is fast and simple. During the treatment, your doctor will apply a coupling gel on the treatment area (the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, your cheeks and over your nose). Laser grade shields are applied on your eyes to protect it and allow the practitioner to get as close to the eyelid margin as possible. As light is applied to the skin, you may experience a warm sensation. The treatment is gentle with minimum discomfort. The treatment itself takes about 10–15 minutes. OptiLight IPL is often followed by meibomian gland expression (either with Lipiflow or Tearcare), usually after your 3rd session.
After Your Treatment
Immediately following treatment, you may experience some redness. This will usually disappear within a few hours.
Part of Your Custom Treatment Plan
A course of treatment typically includes 4 sessions spaced 2–4 weeks apart. Maintenance sessions are done based on signs and symptoms.
If needed, we will recommend other treatments alongside OptiLight IPL to optimize the outcome. These can include eye drops, medications, eyelid hygiene treatments, thermal flow treatment and punctal plugs.
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. During your dry eye workup, we will assess if you are a candidate for this procedure. In general, we do not recommend this treatment if you:
We will determine whether this option is right for you.
Schedule a Dry Eye Workup today.
- A course of treatment typically includes 4 sessions spaced 2-4 weeks apart.
- Each session usually takes only 10-15 minutes
- During the treatment your practitioner will apply a coupling gel on the treatment area and cover your eyes with laser grade shields
- You may experience a warm sensation as light is applied to the skin, the treatment is gentle with minimum discomfort
- OptiLight is often followed by Meibomian Gland expression (with Lipiflow or Tearcare) after the 3rd IPL session.
Who will benefit from IPL?
Patients with blepharitis, meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), evaporative dry eyes, ocular rosacea, those with recurrent styes (hordeolums) and chalazions.
What's the Goal of IPL?
By cauterizing those feeder vessels, we tend to see a reduction in the inflammatory cascade and a reduction of the telangiectasia on the eye lid margin. Therefore, improvement in obstructive MGD.
What are the full Ocular Aesthetic benefits of IPL?
The ocular benefits include stimulating the oil glands, reducing inflammation, and eradicating demodex mites. The aesthetic benefits include tightening the collagen in the skin as well as treating age spots, redness, fine lines, and wrinkles.
During Your Treatment
It is fast and simple. During the treatment, your doctor will apply a coupling gel on the treatment area (the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, your cheeks and over your nose). Laser grade shields are applied on your eyes to protect it and allow the practitioner to get as close to the eyelid margin as possible. As light is applied to the skin, you may experience a warm sensation. The treatment is gentle with minimum discomfort. The treatment itself takes about 10–15 minutes. OptiLight IPL is often followed by meibomian gland expression (either with Lipiflow or Tearcare), usually after your 3rd session.
After Your Treatment
Immediately following treatment, you may experience some redness. This will usually disappear within a few hours.
Part of Your Custom Treatment Plan
A course of treatment typically includes 4 sessions spaced 2–4 weeks apart. Maintenance sessions are done based on signs and symptoms.
If needed, we will recommend other treatments alongside OptiLight IPL to optimize the outcome. These can include eye drops, medications, eyelid hygiene treatments, thermal flow treatment and punctal plugs.
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. During your dry eye workup, we will assess if you are a candidate for this procedure. In general, 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
We will determine whether this option is right for you.
Schedule a Dry Eye Workup today.
