LipiFlow® Treatment for Dry Eye
Suffering from dry eye? Werner Optometry may have the solution you’ve been looking for.
LipiFlow is a proven treatment for the leading cause of dry eye—meibomian gland disease (MGD). The treatment applies a comfortable heat and gentle pulsating massage to your eyelids, which can relieve these symptoms.
Schedule an appointment with an experienced optometrist at Werner Optometry to design a customized dry eye program and to determine if LipiFlow is an appropriate treatment option for your dry eyes.
Learn More About LipiFlow
What is dry eye?
Dry eye is a medical condition that can be the cause of a wide variety of symptoms including: dryness, itching, burning, and watery eyes. It has two primary forms based on the specific cause, including evaporative dry eye and aqueous deficient dry eye.
- Evaporative dry eye is a deficiency of the oily layer in your tears, which are produced by your meibomian glands.
- Aqueous deficient dry eye is caused by a deficiency of the watery layer of your tears, which are produced by your nasolacrimal ducts, commonly known as your tear ducts.
Evaporative dry eye is the most common form, and can be easily diagnosed with several simple tests.
What is the LipiFlow treatment like?
Your optometrist will insert a LipiFlow activator under your upper and lower eyelids. This disposable device is shaped to avoid contacting the surface of your eye.
Your optometrist will then activate the activator while you recline in a chair. This treatment can clear blockages and restore function to your meibomian glands, allowing them to secrete an oily fluid into your tears to provide constant lubrication.
The LipiFlow procedure takes about 12 minutes and is approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Most insurance plans do not cover LipiFlow at this time.
What results can I expect?
The results of LipiFlow treatment are dependent upon the individual, and the maximum relief of symptoms may require several weeks to achieve. Your optometrist will discuss the benefits you can expect to receive after a thorough evaluation.
The results of a 2012 clinical study published in Cornea show that 79 percent of the patients who received LipiFlow treatment reported an overall improvement in their dry eye symptoms within four weeks, with individual improvements ranging from 10 to 100 percent.
Schedule an appointment online or call our El Cajon office at (619) 670-6296 to give your vision the level of care and attention it deserves.