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Intense pulsed light and microdermabrasion help to treat dry eye
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ROME — Intense pulsed light, or IPL, can be used to treat dry eye involving meibomian gland dysfunction, according to one speaker here.
"IPL closes the blood vessels that secrete the inflammatory cytokines that cause chronic blockage of the glands. Once the glands are no longer inflamed, they start working again, secreting the lipids that allow tear film stability," Rolando Toyos, MD, said at the annual joint meeting of Ocular Surgery News and the Italian Society of Ophthalmology.
Four treatments at 4-week intervals are sufficient to produce good, stable results.
A limitation of this technique is that IPL is not absorbed by darker skin tones. Microdermabrasion, which causes dilation and evacuation of the meibomian gland, could be used instead of IPL in these cases.
"It does not close the blood vessels, but used once a month helps the meibomian gland to clear," Dr. Toyos said.
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