LipiFlow Treatment For Dry Eye In New York City
The Most Advanced and Effective Doctor-Led Procedure for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).
Although not so well-known except amongst eye doctors, Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) is a very common eye condition and the most common cause of severe Dry Eye Syndrome. It can be caused by a number of factors, such as age, ethnicity, corrective lens use, high cholesterol, bacterial infection, and even some medications. MGD can range in severity from relatively minor to completely debilitating to your quality of life.
What Is Meibomian Gland Dysfunction?
Meibomian Gland Dysfunction is a condition caused by a blockage of the meibomian glands, which results in tear evaporation. The meibomian glands are a part of the eye, located by the inner eyelid. These glands secrete oil, which keeps your tears moist and prevents them from evaporating. When the meibomian glands are blocked or have some kind of irregularity, then an insufficient amount of oil is produced. This is known as Meibomian Gland Dysfunction or MGD.
While they often may be caused by a reaction to strong emotions or bright lights, tears have some practical health benefits, as well. When dust or small particles enter the eye, tears often form, which cleanse the eye from these materials and keep the eye moist. So when a person’s tears evaporate too quickly and the eyes become dry, it can cause mild to severe discomfort.
This lack of sufficient moisture can cause itching, irritated, or dryness in the eyes. Not surprisingly, Meibomian Gland Dysfunction is a leading cause of Dry Eye Syndrome. In fact, studies show that about 86% of Dry Eye patients have Meibomian Gland Dysfunction in some form or another.
The symptoms of MGD include:
- Blurriness, which ironically, can lead to watery eyes
- Feeling as if something is in your eye, like a small pebble or other foreign objects
- Soreness, like an ache inside the eye
- Swollen eyelids
- Redness, especially if you rub your eyes excessively
- Pain and inflammation
As the condition worsens, the glands become further blocked and can even atrophy and die. This can result in even more severe Dry Eye symptoms, such as pastiness and the feeling that there is a foreign body in your eye.
Until LipiFlow hit the market, the only option for your eye doctor to treat advanced MGD was to manually express your meibomian glands — a painful and uncomfortable procedure. At the Drs. Farkas, Kassalow, Resnick & Associates, we are proud to offer Lipiflow as part of our Dry Eye treatment toolkit. This advanced device is the only FDA-approved device for effectively treating MGD.
What Is LipiFlow?
LipiFlow is an advanced and relatively new technology, produced by Johnson & Johnson in partnership with TearScience, with clinically proven effectiveness in treating MGD. LipiFlow is specifically designed to remove any blockages from the meibomian glands and gently express them.
The LipiFlow device works by applying warmth to the meibomian glands combined with gentle pulsating pressure to massage out the blockages and stimulate the lipids to excrete healthy, clean lipids. This combination both alleviates the immediate symptoms of Dry Eye Syndrome and helps to recuperate meibomian functioning for improved long-term functioning of the meibomian glands.
Lipiflow is an important part of our Dry Eyes treatment arsenal and for severe cases, it is often the best means for regaining the protective lipid layer of the tear film, restoring comfort and quality of life.
“ When Drops And Warm Compresses Just Aren’t Enough… “
If you suffer from Dry Eye, don’t suffer in silence. Our qualified Dry Eye doctor, our eye doctors, will conduct a complete assessment to diagnose the cause of your Dry Eye and then work out a customized and comprehensive treatment regimen that will include LipiFlow, if this treatment is right for your specific condition. The LipiFlow treatment itself can be carried out in only 15-30 minutes at our New York City Dry Eye Treatment Center.
How Does LipiFlow Work And Feel?
LipiFlow is usually pain-free and completely safe, posing no serious risks. The Lipiflow is also completely sterile, since it makes use of single-use activators each time a treatment is performed. Placed on your outer eyelids, the LipiFlow transmits automated warmth and massaging pulses to your inner eyelids to gently remove blockages and stimulate lipid expression and production. The activators are contour-shaped above the cornea in such a way that the device does not touch the core eye surface. The low-impact nature of the LipiFlow means that the sensitive areas of the eye are safe and well-protected during the procedure.
Placing the activators and conducting the treatment procedure is usually a simple process, and patients can expect only minimal discomfort in most cases. The treatment begins immediately after placing the activators on the eyes. The LipiFlow activator heats up and pulsates with a patented Vectored Thermal Pulse (VTP), with a simultaneous therapeutic motion on the outer lid. It is this combination of vectored heat and a gentle adaptive pressure which safely removes the blockages and debris which are obstructing the meibomian glands.
How Do You Assess If LipiFlow Is Right for Me?
At the Drs. Farkas, Kassalow, Resnick & Associates, we use a number of advanced tools to diagnose Dry Eye Syndrome and formulate a custom treatment plan. These include tear-breakup tests and those using fluorescein dye. Beyond that, the Drs. Farkas, Kassalow, Resnick & Associates has a number of more advanced technologies to diagnose your condition. We may recommend LipiFlow as part of your custom treatment plan based on the severity and cause of your Dry Eye Syndrome, as well as other medical factors we will take into account.
Here are some of the advanced diagnostic technologies we use when assessing your Dry Eye Syndrome and monitoring the progression of your treatment:
LipiView is an Ocular Surface Interferometer, which measures lipid layer thickness and is accurate to the nanometer. This information allows us to image your meibomian gland structure and to measure the dynamic response of your lipid layer to the way you blink. This helps our Dry Eye Doctors to better assess the factors contributing to your Dry Eye symptoms.
Dynamic Meibomian Imaging (DMI) seamlessly combines two innovative imaging technologies: adaptive transillumination and dynamic illumination. Each technology produces its own independent image of the meibomian glands. Both images are then processed, displayed, and combined to provide a more accurate and precise visualization of the structure of the meibomian gland. With the help of these images, the optometrist can detect any structural changes or blockages in the meibomian glands.
LipiScan is a dedicated meibomian gland imager. It features a small footprint and a user-friendly design. LipiScan helps to produce high-definition meibography which we use to take a highly-detailed image of your meibomian glands. This allows us to better assess the health and function of your meibomian glands.
Don’t Suffer From Dry Eyes
For more information about our LipiFlow treatment procedure, contact the Drs. Farkas, Kassalow, Resnick & Associates today. We will be happy to assess your condition and go over your options. We provide caring and specialized Dry Eye Treatment in New York City, Roslyn, Long Island, Nassau County, and throughout New York.