Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL) for Dry Eye

The IPL treatment for dye eye syndrome is a painless and in-office procedure that treats the underlying condition

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Intense Pulsed Light Therapy (IPL) for Dry Eye in Olympia

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Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy is a treatment which can be used to effectively treat the underlying causes of dry eye syndrome.

What is IPL, and How Does it Work?

IPL therapy is a painless, in-office treatment which treats the underlying cause of dye eye syndrome

The procedure involved gentle light pulses being delivered to the skin adjacent to the eyes. This serves to reduce inflammation in the area, and eliminate bacterial infections. The light pulses also melt the secretions on the eyelids, release oil that may have built up, and unclog the meibomian glands.

It helps ensure the oil resumes proper flow of oil into the tears, which ensures they don’t evaporate too quickly, and thus relieve dry eye symptoms.

What is IPL Treatment Like?

At the start of your IPL treatment, the doctor will place eye shields over your eyes to protect them from the light pulses. Following this, a thin layer of cooling gel will be put onto the skin around the eyes, since it is also a sensitive area.

The procedure itself involves the doctor holding a small device over the eyelids, which emits pulses of light. The heat from these causes the secretions blocking the meibomian glands to melt.

Once the procedure is completed, the doctor may express the glands to stimulate normal oil flow and make sure the procedure did what it was supposed to do.

What to Expect Following Treatment

In many cases, patients will see a noticeable improvement in their dry eye symptoms after just one or two IPL treatments. However, it is still recommended to come back for monthly treatments over a four month timespan in order to make sure you get the best possible results.

In particularly severe cases, the doctor may recommend additional treatments to ensure that healthy meibomian gland function is maintained and the condition does not return. Sometimes, the doctor will recommend another form of treatment in addition to IPL to achieve the best results.

When Should You Seek Out IPL Therapy?

If you are suffering from chronic dry eye, and it is negatively affecting your quality of life, your doctor may recommend IPL therapy to you, as a treatment designed to provide long lasting relief, as opposed to other treatment options such as artificial tears and warm compresses, which only provide short term symptom relief.

Summary

With intensive pulsed light therapy, dry eye can be treated effectively in the office and long-term. Patients with dry eyes visit our clinic from all over Washington, and we are proud to be a leading provider of dry eye care for patients from Olympia, Lakewood, Tacoma, and Lacey.

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Testimonials

Such a nice optician. My grandson is only 4 and needs glasses. We were so sad, but he explained the issues, and we will follow up as he suggested.

Anna P.

I had such a good experience with the clinic. Very friendly staff and doctor, did not have to wait for long to be called, and was treated respectfully. Thanks, American Family.

June S.

Dr. Zurcher has gone above and beyond what any other eye doctor has ever done to figure out what is going on with my eyes. Very happy with American Family Vision.

Christine R.

Family Vision Clinic changed our lives! My daughter was frequently car sick, and she was getting headaches every day, often painful enough that they brought her to tears. We saw a string of doctors and therapists, but we made no progress. Finally, we found Dr. Levi Zurcher and his eye therapist Rain. After ten weeks of eye therapy my daughter no longer gets headaches, and she no longer gets car sick. Daily tears are a thing of the past. I really can’t say enough about this clinic. It was fascinating to watch Dr. Zurcher work. For the first time, someone who knew what they were doing was intently studying my daughter, really trying to figure out all of her eye issues, and his therapist Rain is one of the most patient and lovely people that I’ve ever had the good fortune to meet. We’re finished with eye therapy—yay!—and I have switched to American Family Vision Clinic for all of my family’s other eye health needs.

Lars Wulff

Very professional, yet kind and helpful. They do what they can to make the appointment comfortable. I was running a bit late, I made sure ti call. They were able to switch me with a patient who was already there, they treated me with respect, and helped my son have confidence by getting him the eye care he needed that day. Thank you so much! Would recommend to anyone. It's a blessing that they care enough to work with people who have all different types of insurance from work to state coverage.