We offer an advanced approach for dry eye treatment and related conditions.
Have you been suffering from painful dryness?- or think you may have it? Call our Dry Eye Center to schedule your consult for treatment options that may bring relief and comfort. During your consultation, we work together to determine the cause of your symptoms and apply therapy options and recommendations appropriate to your specific needs — While there is no cure, there is effective management of chronic dry eye disease and MGD that may make your daily discomfort a thing of the past. Call to schedule your consultation with our EyeHealth Dry Eye Specialists.
Dry Eye and MGD from TearScience on Vimeo.
We offer advanced treatment with LipiFlow® Thermal® Pulsation. If you suffer from or have been diagnosed with an Evaporative dry eye, you may be a candidate for Lipiflow – treatment is available in the office, often the same day as your consultation. For many, Lipiflow is an effective treatment option that may bring sustained relief. Our Dry Eye Center of Excellence is a leading treatment facility in the Pacific Northwest.
How do we determine Dry Eye or MGD?
In our certified Dry Eye Clinic we conduct a series of evaluations, including measurement of asymptomatic baselines to determine the likely cause of your dry eye symptoms. First, you will complete a dry eye health history – this assessment of frequency and severity of symptoms allows us to understand how your eyes feel on a daily basis. If the history indicates symptoms beyond mild, we recommend a LipiView® – This technology allows the physician to evaluate the dimensions of the lipid (oil) layer on your eye.
Here’s how it works: LipiView® measures extremely detailed images of your eye’s tear film.
The procedure is non-invasive and performed in our office. If you’ve ever had a comprehensive eye exam, LipiView® will feel similar. The tear film can be clearly seen as an array of colors that are reflected when a light source is directed toward the front surface of the eye. Readings are instantly calculated and displayed on the LipiView® monitor.
Typically, our Portland eye doctor will perform a Meibomian gland evaluation.
LipiView® is an imaging device that is intended for use by a physician in adult patients to capture images of the tear film. The following conditions may affect the assessment of a patient’s tear film using the LipiView®
- Use of ophthalmic drops such as artificial tear lubricants, ointments, and medications. Patients should not use oil-based ophthalmic drops (e.g., Soothe®, Restasis®) for at least 12 hours prior to LipiView® assessment. Patients should not use ointments for at least 24 hours prior to LipView® use.
- Soft or rigid contact lens wear – patients should remove contact lenses at least 4 hours prior to device use.
- Use of oil-based facial cosmetics around the eye.
- Eye rubbing.
- Recent swimming in a chlorinated pool. Patients should not swim for at least 12 hours prior to LipiView® use.
- Any ocular surface condition that affects the stability of the tear film. These conditions include disease, dystrophy, trauma, scarring, surgery, or abnormality.
Following these evaluations, we will then determine whether or not you have evaporative dry eye or Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and if you are a candidate for LipiFlow®.
Prior to taking images of your tear film with the LipiView, advise your doctor if you have used eye drops recently; last worn contact lenses; used oil-based cosmetics around your eye; rubbed your eye; recently swam in a chlorinated pool; or are aware of any condition that affects your eye surface and the stability of your tears. These conditions may affect the imaging assessment of your tear film.
If you’ve been unable to receive long-lasting relief from the over-the-counter or prescription remedies you’ve tried, it may be because they haven’t been targeting the primary cause of your condition – the blockage of your Meibomian glands located in your eyelids. Perhaps you’ve tried things like eye drops and warm compresses, which many find inconvenient and only offer short-term relief.
The LipiFlow® Thermal Pulsation System, by TearScience®, is a significant technological shift managing evaporative dry eye. With a single procedure, applying a combination of directed heat and pulsating pressure, many find a single treatment effective in relieving the blockage of their Meibomian glands. The LipiFlow® System is intended for the application of localized heat and pressure therapy in adult patients with evaporative dry eye. Opening the blocked glands may allow your body to resume its natural production of tear film oil.
No other dry eye therapies do what the Pulsation System can!
LipiFlow® treatment is clinically proven with sustained results. In a clinical study, about 79% of patients reported an improvement in overall dry symptoms after a single LipiFlow® treatment. Depending on the severity of your specific condition and your response to treatment, you may need to repeat the LipiFlow® treatment periodically as your symptoms return over time.
With LipiFlow® – and regular checks and ongoing care to monitor your progress – let us help you experience dry eye relief like never before.
Goodbye Evaporative Dry Eye. Get started today!
If you’re ready to kick evaporative dry eye, all it takes is a phone call to get started. Make an evaluation appointment with our Dry Eye Clinic and determine if you’re a candidate for LipiFlow®.
What actually happens during a LipiFlow® treatment?
The LipiFlow® Activator (a disposable eyepiece) is inserted under your lower and upper eyelid and is shaped to prevent contact with your cornea. Once in place, you simply recline in the treatment chair and experience the 12-minute procedure. In a clinical study, 32% of patients reported no discomfort and 48% of patients noted awareness of pressure without pain during the LipiFlow® treatment. The average total Meilbomian gland score for patients who received a single LipiFlow® treatment more than doubled from 6.3 + 3.5 glands at the baseline to 16.7 + 8.7 glands at 4 weeks. As previously mentioned, 79% of patients treated with LipiFlow® in the clinical study reported an improvement in overall dry eye symptoms.
Why is LipiFlow® superior to other dry eye therapies?
If you’re a moderate to severe evaporative dry eye sufferer, life can seem like a constant battle to alleviate symptoms. Those drops and warm compresses become a regular ritual. You’ve tried blinking exercises and lid scrubs. And you avoid wearing contact lenses and extended sessions in from of the computer.
If this sounds familiar, you may need LipiFlow®. The breakthrough treatment for MGD, evaporative dry eye is LipiFlow®:
The first and only treatment that addresses the cause of evaporative dry eye at the source, allowing your eyelid glands to produce the oils required for a healthy tear film. Other treatments – warm compresses and drops – just give you temporary symptomatic relief.
The only treatment that can give you sustained relief through improved gland function. Other treatments require daily, and some times even hourly attention to keep your evaporative dry eye under control.
A powerful step in managing dry eye disease, providing symptom relief and helping stop the cycle of dry eye deterioration and worsening symptoms.
Get immediate, lasting Dry Eye relief – Start Now!
Are you ready to experience the relief of LipiFlow®? Get started by completing our questionnaire.
Where can I find detailed safety information about LipiFlow®?
PATIENT SAFETY INFORMATION
The LipiFlow® System is used by your doctor for the application of localized heat and pressure therapy in adult patients with chronic cystic conditions of the eyelids, including Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), also known as Evaporative Dry Eye or lipid deficiency dry eye.
The LipiFlow® System is a prescription device. Federal law restricts the device to sale by or on the order of a licensed doctor. You are not a candidate for LipiFlow® if you have experienced any of the following conditions within the last 3 months: eye surgery; eye injury; Herpes of the eye or eyelid; or history of chronic eye infection, eye inflammation, eyelid irregularity or eye surface irregularity.
Tell your doctor if you have a history of eye allergies, eyelid inflammation, systemic disease that causes dry eye, or are taking medications known to cause dryness. The device may not fit all eyes, such as small eyelids anatomy. In addition, the treatment procedure may loosen previously inserted punctual plugs, which may worsen dye eye symptoms.
Possible adverse events that may occur as a result of the treatment procedure include, but are not limited to the onset of or increase in: eyelid or eye pain requiring discontinuation of the treatment procedure; redness and/or swelling of the eyelid or eye surface; irritation of the eye surface; inflammation of the glands in the eyelid, stye in the eyelid, slight worsening of eyelid gland blockage, and eye symptoms of dryness, redness, burning sensation, eye fatigue, hazy or blurred vision, and sensitivity to light. Potential serious adverse events that are not anticipated because the device is designed to prevent occurrence include thermal injury of the eye or eyelid, physical pressure-induced injury to the eyelid, and eye surface infection.
