Dry eyes are a common problem for millions of Americans, causing symptoms like burning, itching, grittiness, and even blurry vision that can take a toll on your comfort and your daily activities. While lifestyle changes can sometimes help, many patients find long-term relief with an innovative therapy called LipiFlow®.
Committed to providing the most advanced eyecare solutions for their patients. The team at Long Island Ophthalmic Concepts offers LipiFlow therapy for patients suffering from the pain and discomfort of dry eyes. In this post, learn how LipiFlow therapy works and how it could help you improve your comfort and your eye health, too.
Most of us experience dry eyes occasionally, with symptoms that tend to clear up on their own. However, many people regularly suffer from dry eyes, and while changes in environmental or lifestyle habits can be somewhat helpful, long-term relief requires medical treatment.
Chronic dry eye is often related to an underlying problem called meibomian gland dysfunction. Located along the lid margins, tiny meibomian glands produce oils that are a key component of healthy tears.
The oil in your tears slows down evaporation, allowing tears to remain on the eye surface longer. It also reduces friction that happens when you blink and improves overall lubrication of the eye surface.
Meibomian gland dysfunction happens when the glands don’t produce or release enough oil, resulting in thin and watery tears. Without treatment, meibomian gland dysfunction can lead to dry eyes and increase your risk of infections and other problems.
LipiFlow is a noninvasive treatment designed to improve meibomian gland function, increasing oil output to improve the quality and viscosity of your tears. LipiFlow uses a combination of gentle heat and massage to stimulate glands and remove debris that could be blocking oil flow.
Heat and massage are delivered via soft, disposable devices placed along the outside edges of your eyelids, liquefying hardened oil deposits and clearing the gland openings. Once in place, these tiny devices do all the work while you sit back and relax. The entire procedure typically takes under an hour.
There’s no downtime after treatment, and you can resume your regular activities. Most people experience symptom relief within a few days of their treatment session, with results that can last indefinitely. Treatment can also be repeated in the future if needed.
Dry eyes might not seem like more than an inconvenience, but without treatment, they can lead to more severe symptoms and even increase your risk of infections. To learn more about LipiFlow therapy and other treatments that can help relieve your dry eye symptoms, request an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Long Island Ophthalmic Concepts in Bellmore and Great Neck, New York, today.
