Chan Family Optometry

360 Sierra College Dr. Ste. 100

Grass Valley, CA 95945 US

(530) 273-3190

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Dry Eye Treatment

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What Is the OptiLight by Lumenis & How Can It Manage Your Dry Eye?

Dry eye disease is a widespread and common issue for up to 49 million Americans. This chronic condition can have a significant impact on your quality of life, causing many symptoms including a gritty or foreign body sensation in your eyes, pain, blurry vision, and dry or watery eyes. Untreated, it can even lead to further eye health complications.

Despite these constant detrimental effects on quality of life, many dry eye sufferers are not aware that they’re suffering from dry eye disease or that real treatments exist. Instead, they just live with the discomfort.

Dry eyes can be diagnosed by:

  • A tear osmolarity test: This test objectively measures the salt concentration (osmolarity) of a patient’s tear film on the eye's surface.  Abnormal levels indicate instability of the tear film and aid in proper categorization of the dry eye severity.
  • A slit lamp evaluation: This evaluation of the eyelid, cornea and conjunctiva allows discovery of abnormal structures, including inflammation. The use of fluorescein staining of the ocular surface aids in assessing tear quality and corneal defects caused by dry eyes.
  • Oculus Keratograph: This test can assess multiple components of dry eyes, like tear meniscus and tear break-up time and helps to determine if ocular discomfort is due to poor tear film quality, quantity or gland issues.
  • Redness of the eye’s conjunctiva
  • The eyelid’s oil gland quality

At Chan Family Optometry, we believe in putting our patient’s comfort first–by combining genuine compassion with our decades of experience in dry eye therapy. We’ve developed a modern, personalized approach to eradicating the irritating symptoms of dry eyes.

We’re proud to offer OptiLight by Lumenis to our patients, specially designed for dry eye management.

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What Is OptiLight by Lumenis?

OptiLight by Lumenis is a light-based, non-invasive treatment done in the area below the eyes to manage dry eye. The first and only IPL FDA-approved for dry eye management.

What Is OptiLight by Lumenis?

OptiLight by Lumenis is a light-based, non-invasive treatment done in the area below the eyes to manage dry eye. The first and only IPL FDA-approved for dry eye management.

The treatment is safe, gentle, and is backed by more than 20 clinical studies.

How Does It Work?

OptiLight uses precise pulses of light to reduce the inflammation that is typically associated with dry eye disease, improve tear break-up time, and increase meibomian gland functionality.

This application can significantly relieve dry eye indicators and has a multi-factorial effect, including:

  • Increasing tear break-up time which slows down the evaporation period of the natural tears
  • Reducing the amount of demodex mites and bacteria living around your eyes
  • Eliminating blood vessels that contribute to inflammation
  • Improving meibomian gland functionality to stabilize tear film quality


What to Expect

Before Your Treatment

You can expect a thorough consultation with your optometrist before your IPL session; they’ll review all pre and post-treatment instructions, and work with you to determine your skin type before treatment

Patients should delay their IPL treatments if they:

  • Have active skin infections
  • Have skin cancer
  • Are undergoing active radiation therapy
  • Are pregnant or nursing

At Chan Family Optometry, we recommend our patients wear sunscreen daily, and avoid sun exposure, tanning beds, or self-tanner for approximately 4 weeks before and after treatment. We also suggest:

  • Avoiding the use of sunscreen on the day of your appointment
  • Removing facial hair in the treatment area
  • Take any prescribed medications for cold sores or shingles the day before, and the day after your session
  • Avoiding photosensitizing medicines before and after your appointment
  • Discontinuing the use of specific products for 1 week before your treatment. Products to avoid include:
    • Vitamin A
    • Retinol
    • Benzoyl peroxide
    • Glycolic acid
    • Salicylic acid
    • Astringents

Before your treatment, you must complete a questionnaire that will be reviewed by your doctor, and sign a consent form.

During Your Treatment

This treatment is fast and simple. During the treatment your doctor will apply a coupling gel on the treatment area and cover your eyes with shields.

As light is applied to the skin, you may experience a warm sensation. The treatment is gentle with minimum discomfort. The treatment itself will only take 10–15 minutes.

At the discretion of your doctor, OptiLight may be followed by meibomian gland expression.

After Your Treatment

Following your OptiLight session, you may experience slight redness and temperature sensitivity around the eye, eyelids, and face. This sensitivity can last from several hours to approximately 3 days.

Patients may experience a worsening of their dry eye symptoms before seeing improvements, due to the evacuation of diseased oil from the eyelids. Other side effects can include flaky skin, and darker pigmented areas on the skin for a short period.

Part of Your Custom Treatment Plan

A course of treatment typically includes 4 sessions spaced 2–4 weeks apart.

Chan Family Optometry specializes in customizable treatments for our patients suffering from the irritating symptoms of dry eye disease. We’ll work closely with you to create a personalized treatment experience in conjunction with your OptiLight sessions.

Depending on the cause and severity of your dry eyes, personalized treatments can include:

Contact our knowledgeable team if you have questions about using additional dry eye solutions to enhance your Optilight treatments.

Will the OptiLight by Lumenis Work for Me? 

While OptiLight by Lumenis is an effective dry eye management solution, we want to make sure it’s right for you. We do not recommend this treatment if you:

  • Suffer from aqueous deficiency dry eye (rather than evaporative dry eye or meibomian gland dysfunction)
  • Have a history of keloid scarring
  • Have severe scarring around your eyes

Ultimately, your doctor is the only person who can determine whether this option is right for you. During your next appointment, ask us if you are a good candidate for OptiLight by Lumenis.

You Don’t Have to Live With Dry Eye Anymore

Dry, irritated eyes can be managed with a new treatment that brings comfort and can restore quality of life. Visit your eye doctor to get an accurate diagnosis and a treatment plan tailored to your needs.