MGD | paramount

Meibomian glands are tiny oil glands within our eyelids that excrete oils. When we blink our eyelids press together, and the gentle compression squeezes a clear viscous oil from those glands, known as meibum. Those oils then mix with our tears to not only give us clear vision but help prevent our tears from evaporating. If you stopped producing healthy oils your eyes would quicky become dry, uncomfortable and your vision would start to get blurry.

Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) is a chronic disease of the oil glands within our eyelids, which is commonly caused by obstruction of the duct that allows the oils to reach the surface of the eyelid. Either the oils have become trapped from the gland being blocked, the oils have begun to breakdown and harden or solidify, or the oils have not been secreted from decreased blinking. Long term MGD eventually leads to atrophy of those oil glands, and when that happens your symptoms worsen, it becomes more difficult to treat and takes longer to get back to baseline.

Causes of MGD:

Use of Digital Devices
Aging
Menopause
Pregnancy
Medications (Hormone replacement therapy, Antidepressants, Antihistamines, Retinoids for skin care)
Endocrine disorders
Autoimmune disorders (Sjogren’s, Rosacea, Psoriasis, Arthritis)
Make-up (Especially eye liner)
Contact lens wear
Diet low in Omega 3’s
Dehydration

MGD has been documented for a long time, but its prevalence has been increasing over the last few decades, largely in part from our usage of digital devices. How the heck can digital devices cause my oil glands to become dysfunctional!? This is because whenever we stare at our phones or computer screens, we try to absorb as much information as possible and we tend to blink less often, 4 times less often to be exact! Studies show instead of blinking every four seconds we blink as little as every 15 seconds, or four times a minute!

Without those oils, our tears quickly dry out, and the only response is to send more tears, called reflex tearing. Reflex tearing sounds helpful but it’s sometimes more harmful than good. These tears are typically more acidic and cause inflammation to the delicate tissues of the eye which can exacerbate your symptoms of dryness, burning, and discomfort. Proper tears not only provide good, comfortable vision, but they also allow for oxygen transmission to the cornea and help fight off bacteria because your tears are loaded with antibodies. Who knew tears were so important!

MGD can become a problem for several different reasons, but the treatment is the same, getting those oils melted, unblocked, and flowing again. Picture butter at room temperature, it’s a solid, and if you heat it up it melts into a liquid. We want to apply that same principle to those oil glands. And thankfully there have been advances in new technology to help with treating and resolving MGD quickly and effectively.

These two devices are called Radiofrequency (RF) and Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) Therapy. At our office we use Envision by Inmode. Envision is a safe, highly effective, and comfortable procedure for the symptomatic relief of MGD, Blepharitis, and Dry Eye. We currently have two options Forma I (RF) and Lumecca (IPL), for helping treat MGD

Forma I

Forma I uses bipolar Radiofrequency, a high frequency electrical current, to deliver consistent and gentle heat to small delicate areas of the skin around the eyes, penetrating to the deeper layers of the skin and Meibomian glands. The warming effect on these glands melts down the blocked oils and allows the glands to flow and express to the surface of the eyelid. It also stimulates collagen synthesis, so it even helps regenerate glands that have previously atrophied from long term damage, turning back the clock on Meibomian Gland Dysfunction!

Lumecca I

Lumecca I is an Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) therapy that uses high-intensity broad spectrum light. The light is absorbed by melanin and pigmented lesions in the skin and hemoglobin in superficial blood vessels. That light is changed to heat energy as it reaches the level of collagen beneath the skin which reduces inflammation and promotes collagen synthesis. It is highly effective for the treatment of Rosacea, Demodex lid mites, Blepharitis, Sunspots, Styes and Chalazions, Fine lines and Wrinkles, Under-Eye Bags, and MORE! IPL interrupts the dry eye inflammation cycle by bringing the tear film back to normal, resulting in an improvement in dry eye symptoms. The results speak for themselves!

As the premier dry eye specialist for the surrounding areas of Lucas and Allen, Texas, we are so excited to be able to offer an amazing treatment option to our patients. If you have any questions, please give us a call and we would be happy to further discuss available treatment options or schedule a consultation today to see if Envision is right for you!