We are pleased to share the news that we have a wonderful alternative to drops or warm compress for dry eyes in our clinic. Smart machine LipiFlow is an innovative system, which warms the inside and outside of the eyelids with a stream of hot air. Only the eyelid heats up, the stream melts scars, unclogs the glands, and draws everything out of them.
The New Machine: LipiFlow
I’ve heard about the new machine – it has something to do with the seemingly mundane issue of dry eyes?
It might seem mundane, but it’s a huge problem that anyone can have, of any age. Dryness affects vision and comfort. You get the sensation there’s something in your eye, they turn red, they itch, and you start rubbing them. This causes deformity in the cornea and keratoconus may occur. In short, dry eyes are very bad. Furthermore, dryness affects the results of laser vision correction and cataract surgery. So you can understand that it worries me very much. We reach a point where the surface of the cornea starts to interfere with the achievement of more precise results.
Why does this happen?
Because when the cornea is dry, the surface is rough. It’s unpleasant for the patient and also affects the effectiveness of the procedure. Best practice suggests that you restore the surface to its normal state. How do you do that? Well, you can use drops, or we advise a warm compress. In the eyelid, there are the Meibomian glands. They secrete an oily substance that lubricates the surface of the eyeball and prevents the water in tears from evaporating. That fatty layer and water create a film. In one type of dry eyes, though, there is a lack of tears. The oily layer becomes too thick, for some reason, and the glands become clogged. As a result, they peel off, scar, and/or close.
This has already gone over the heads of most readers, so I’ll ask this – can anything be done?
It turns out, yes! Several years ago, they developed a smart machine LipiFlow with a special actuator. It warms the inside and outside of the eyelids with a stream of hot air. Only the eyelid heats up, and not the eye itself. The stream melts scars, unclogs the glands, and draws everything out of them.
Surely this is a long process.
12-15 minutes, not including preparation.
The Revolutionary Treatment For The Leading Cause Of Dry Eye
What happens next?
The glands open! But if too much time has passed and you don’t have 5-6 functional glands, it is a useless exercise. That’s why imaging takes place beforehand to see if the patient can be helped. At the American Ophthalmology conference in Chicago, from which I recently returned, I had the procedure conducted on myself. I saw that many of my Meibomian glands are closing, which isn’t surprising at 51 years of age. I need to do something about that. If, for example, you have blepharitis, styes, or dry eyes that lead to the evaporation of tears, then you need to take action.
What’s the takeaway for our readers?
The takeaway is that you need to come see us. We decided that Benjamin Eye Institute cannot do without this magic machine; our reputation depends on it. And although the machine is very, very expensive ($100,000), and we have to spend $500 per patient, we already installed it and are working with it. If the patient qualifies, the procedure should be done several weeks before a cataract operation.
Is it a one-time procedure? Or will the dryness return sooner or later?
Once a year, or if it has been neglected, maybe twice.
The new machine LipiFlow
I would doubt this is covered by insurance
It’s not. Nevertheless, there’s already a waiting list for these machines. I admit, I didn’t think my practice could afford such a thing, but I conducted a survey among my patients and the response was positive. In other words, they are likely to undergo this procedure since their vision depends on it. We have one goal. It was a very difficult decision to make, but we did it.
I also hope to have this procedure. Is it possible?
As you know from experience, we always want to help. We not only invest vast sums of money into equipment, but also lots of heart and soul into the work itself. Contact us today and schedule for a free consultation at Benjamin Eye Institute.
SV
