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.
Vision Health Center, P.C. has adopted numerous state-of-the-art technologies to help get your eye comfort back on the right track. With the support of our compassionate team, our approach considers every aspect of your eye health and comfort to deliver meaningful dry eye solutions and improve your quality of life.
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
Before Your Treatment
The first step before any eye treatment is an eye exam. Our comprehensive process takes a deep look at various structures that support your vision, eye health, and eye comfort. Examining your tear film, meibomian glands, eyelids, and cornea can help us determine what may be causing your dry eye symptoms.
If you’re a candidate for IPL therapy, we’ll book your treatment session and go over what you can expect from your appointment. Before coming in for treatment, we’ll ask you to limit sun exposure as much as possible for a few weeks and wear sunscreen whenever you go outside.
When you come in for an appointment, make sure your face is free of makeup and moisturizers. We may ask you to wash your face once again before we take you to our treatment room.
During Your Treatment
This treatment is fast and simple. During the treatment, an assistant will cover your eyes with shields and apply a coupling gel on the treatment area. Your doctor will perform the OptiLight treatment.
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, but please plan to be in the office for at least 40 minutes to an hour and a half based on your customized treatment package.
After Your Treatment
After your OptiLight treatment, we’ll ask you to avoid direct sunlight and to wear sunscreen every day. We’ll provide you with information to help care for your skin in between treatment sessions.
Part of Your Custom Treatment Plan
A course of treatment typically includes 4 sessions spaced 2–4 weeks apart.
Because we personalize our approach according to your needs, we may offer additional dry eye treatments. Some of our in-office solutions can include:
- Deep eyelid cleansing
- Tranquilvibes heat treatment
- Meibomian gland expression
- Amniotic membranes
- Scleral contact lenses
- Topical and oral medications
We also carry a wide selection of dry eye products for you to use at home. These can include heat therapy eye masks, sleep goggles, over-the-counter eye drops and medications, eyelid cleansers, and more! We can recommend a product-system based on your type and severity of dry eye when you come in for a dry eye consultation.
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.
