Dry Eyes Light Therapy

If you are experiencing dry or irritated eyes, requiring the use of drops or alternative treatments to alleviate discomfort, pulsed light therapy may help provide a suitable cure. Light therapy for dry eyes involves the use of pulsed light aimed into the eye to curb the occurrence of dry eyes, minimizing your reliance on eye drops or water baths to provide relief.

Who Needs Dry Eyes Light Therapy?

• According to researched performed by Dr. Rolando Toyos, in a "Therapeutics Focus on Dry Eye" study, the treatment of meibomian gland dysfunction is carried out with focused light therapy methods. The meibomian gland is responsible for the lipid portion of the tear, and a blockage or dysfunction in this area can lead to dry eyes. By treating the gland with warm light to dissolve any potential buildup and blockages, the gland can resume normal functioning. Oftentimes the symptoms are caused by bacterial buildup in the tear duct as a result of excess meibum. Light therapy is intended to reduce the excess levels of meibum in order to restore the natural balance of the eye.

How Does It Work?

• By combining a cleansing routine with warm, moist compresses and monitored treatment with pulsed light aimed at the tear duct, not into the eyeball itself, the meibomian gland is cleansed of toxic residues and stimulated to normal function. This increases the lifetime of the tear, meaning that the tear lasts for longer on the surface of the eyeball. The wavelengths of light used are known to induce hemoglobin to clot. The theory that follows from this is that as the constricted blood vessels full of clotted hemoglobin are unable to function properly, the delivery of the compounds causing inflammation does not occur. Without this influx of inflammatory compounds, and the cleansing actions taken, the meibomian gland is able to heal itself.

Treatment Regimens

• Treatment is usually done over a period of four to six months, at monthly intervals. By having a long time frame, the treatment can be adjusted according to the patient's response. Patients often will not need all of the treatments, as once the eye has returned to 90 percent of normal function, the procedure is ineffective. Each treatment has a notable effect, and there is no need for steroid treatments to bolster metabolism.

  Pulsed light treatment works well in many cases. A well-planned and monitored treatment regimen, combined with detoxifying cleanses and warm compresses, will help dislodge any residue that may be affecting the meibomian gland's regular activity. The oils that the gland produces are critical to the proper functioning of the eyes' lubrication mechanisms and so the treatment of dysfunction through non-surgical, pulsed light techniques represents a non-invasive way to heal dry eyes.