IPL Dry Eye Treatment

Intense Pulsed Light (IPL): A Modern Approach to Dry Eye Therapy

You rely on your vision every day, but irritating dry eye symptoms can get in the way of living life to its fullest. Not only are dry eyes uncomfortable, but they can also impact your job performance, make daily tasks increasingly difficult, and can adversely impact your quality of life.

Our optometry team is committed to providing you with the vision care you need and deserve. At Optics, we’re proud to offer OptiLight by Lumenis to our patients, specially designed to help you find relief from dry eye disease.

What is OptiLight BY Lumenis?

OptiLight by Lumenis is a safe, gentle, and effective treatment for dry eye symptoms caused by meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) – the leading cause of dye eye disease. This non-invasive procedure by Optilight is the first and only FDA-approved intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment for dry eye management.

IPL uses light therapy to target the root causes of dry eye, leaving you more comfortable and with less severe symptoms. Although results differ for everyone, many studies have shown that 93% of patients are satisfied with the results of IPL therapy for dry eye, which can potentially provide long-term relief.

Here’s how IPL works:

  • A safe and gentle light is applied to your eyelids.
  • The light targets the area around the meibomian glands causing rejuvenation of this tissue.
  • The warmth helps to unclog the glands, allowing them to produce healthy oils again.
  • Over time, this can improve your tear quality and reduce dry eye symptoms.


IPL offers several benefits:

  • Targets the root cause: Unlike traditional dry eye treatments, IPL addresses the underlying issue with your tear glands.
  • Eliminates inflammatory skin conditions such as Rosacea
  • Minimally invasive: The procedure is comfortable and requires no downtime.
  • Long-lasting results: With a series of treatments, you can experience relief from dry eye symptoms for months.


Is IPL right for you?

Our team is here to help you find relief from dry eyes.  Treating dry eye disease is complicated but the right treatment can offer long-term relief from dry eye symptoms.  If you are suffering from dry eye and have not had previous treatment success, it might be time to consider a more modern and innovative treatment such as IPL dry eye therapy.

For more information on IPL treatment, please see our FAQs below.

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Frequently Asked Questions - (FAQs)

IPL stands for Intense Pulsed Light, and is a light-based technology commonly used in dermatology to treat rosacea, reduce telangiectasia, and for skin rejuvenation. IPL is now being used in optometry to treat meibomian gland dysfunction and dry-eye disease.

The oil glands in the eyelid margins produce oil to provide moisture and protect the surface of the eye. In dry eye disease, these meibomian oil glands are blocked and/or inflamed. Therefore, the glands are unable to secrete oil onto the surface of the eye resulting in dry eyes. This is important because blocked meibomian glands can lead to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD), which is the leading cause of dry eye. MGD is the cause of nearly 86% of dry eye cases. The problem is further exacerbated in patients with facial or ocular rosacea as they have abnormally dilated blood vessels (telangiectasia) along the eyelid margins which leak inflammatory mediators.

During IPL therapy, light pulses help treat the inflamed blood vessels in and around your eyes and rejuvenate skin cells. The emitted light also heats your meibomian glands to help liquify the oils, and combination of IPL treatment with manual expression of the lids removes blockages so the oil can flow freely from these glands. IPL is a revolutionary treatment that relieves dry eye symptoms by addressing the root cause of your irritation.

The typical IPL process is as follows:

  • Arrive for procedure without any eye make-up or skin care products on the face
  • First, your eye doctor will place protective shields over the eyes
  • Your doctor will spread a thin layer of cooling gel underneath the eyes
  • A small device is then used to deliver pulses of light to the area around the eyelids, which help release debris from the meibomian glands. During this process, you may feel some warmth from the light as well as a slight snapping sensation. Most patients report minimal discomfort.
  • After the IPL light treatment is complete, your eye doctor may manually express oil from the glands

One session of IPL takes about 10 – 15 minutes. There is no downtime, you can resume your daily activities immediately.

The number of IPL dry eye treatments needed can vary depending on the severity of the condition. However, most patients require a series of four treatments, which are typically performed every two to four weeks. After the initial series of treatments, most patients require maintenance treatments every six months.

Patients typically report improvement after 3 to 4 treatments. For optimal results, 4 sessions are advised. To ensure long-term results, a maintenance session is recommended every 6 months.

  • Your skin may be sensitive after treatment. Any warmth sensation, redness, and/or swelling usually resolves within several hours to 3 days post-treatment
  • Your skin may feel like it has a slight sunburn for a few hours after treatment. It is ok to apply aloe vera or Aquaphor
  • You may apply a clean cold washcloth to the treatment area post-treatment (avoid applying ice packs to the treatment area)
  • If you experience itching after treatment, you may use an over-the-counter topical Hydrocortisone cream
  • Sunspots and age spots may darken and pigmented areas may crust and begin to flake after a few days.
  • Do not pick, rub, scrub, or exfoliate while healing
  • Avoid hot showers and baths until the area is fully healed, cool to warm water should be used when cleansing the area
  • No saunas or hot tubs until the area is full healed
  • Make-up can be applied post-treatment as long as the skin is not broken, irritated, or inflamed. Avoid scrubbing or irritating the area post-treatment.
  • Avoid exercise or vigorous activity at least 24 hours post-treatment
  • It is crucial to avoid any sun exposure for the 1st 48 hours post-treatment. Avoid tanning as much as possible as this may enhance melanin regeneration, resulting in unwanted hyperpigmentation
  • Apply sunblock with SPF 30 or higher daily. Avoid extended sun exposure and wear a hat and sunglasses when outside. Try to keep the treatment area out of the sun as much as possible for at least 4 weeks post-treatment.