OptiLight by Lumenis – a dry eye treatment

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.

Comfortable vision is essential, and we’re committed to providing the latest dry eye treatments by utilizing modern tools and technology. We offer several different strategies for managing and treating dry eye symptoms, and we can even tailor your treatment to suit your needs best.

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

We always start your dry eye treatment by first examining your eyes and diagnosing the cause of your symptoms. There are several ways we can do this, but some of the most common include our dry eye survey, an ocular and tear assessment, and an imaging technique known as meibography, which helps us examine your meibomian glands (which are crucial for stabilizing your tear film).

Once we determine what’s causing your dry eye, we’ll recommend a treatment best suited for your needs.

If we recommend OptiLight IPL therapy, we’ll have you prepare for your appointment by:

• Protecting your skin by avoiding direct sunlight and using SPF 30+ sunblock for a few weeks.
• Cease smoking for at least 6 weeks.
• Stop taking medications that could cause excessive bleeding.
• Avoid retinoids that could cause skin sensitivity.
• Discontinue taking antibiotics (with permission of your family physician).

When you come in, our staff will be here to greet you, go over the procedure, and answer any questions you have. We’ll also ask you to either come in with no makeup or remove it before we start your treatment.

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

You may experience some redness and skin sensitivity after your treatment, but this is quite normal and should subside in a couple of days. You may also experience sensations similar to a sunburn, like peeling, flaking, or swelling, but these should also only last a few days.

Part of Your Custom Treatment Plan

A course of treatment typically includes 3 to 5 sessions spaced about 2–4 weeks apart, but this ultimately depends on how severe your dry eye symptoms are. In most cases, we’ll recommend more than 1 treatment session to help you achieve the results you want.

We may recommend other types of dry eye treatments depending on how serious your case is. Many people can experience long-lasting relief after routine IPL therapy, but others may need other solutions to help maintain their eye comfort. Some of these can include:

• Eyelid hygiene kits
• Punctal plugs
• Pharmaceutical and topical medications

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.