What is OptiLight for dry eyes? With dry eyes, your eyes are not making enough tears or are producing tears that evaporate too quickly. That leaves your eyes with little or no moisture to keep them nourished and healthy.

Dry eye can affect your life. It can cause a stinging or burning sensation in your eye, blurry vision, pain, watery eyes, and light sensitivity. If not treated, dry eye can endanger your eye health.

One of the newest treatment solutions for dry eye is OptiLight. It can help ease dry eye symptoms and improve your life’s quality.

What Is OptiLight?

OptiLight is an intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy by Lumenis. It is a non-invasive treatment that pulses light to the lower eyelid to control dry eye.

OptiLight treatment is the first and only light therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for managing dry eye. It is harmless, gentle, and supported by over 20 scientific studies.

How Does OptiLight Treat Dry Eye?

OptiLight uses measured pulses of intense light to reduce swelling caused by dry eye. The light produces gentle heat that melts the thick eyelid discharge. It also releases oil buildup in the oil glands and unblocks the meibomian glands.

That way, oil can flow naturally into the tears and prevent them from evaporating too fast. As a result, the eyes retain moisture and reduce the feeling of dryness.

What Does OptiLight Treatment Involve?

OptiLight therapy usually takes place over four sessions, placed two to four weeks apart. During the procedure, your eye doctor will cover your eyes with eye guards to protect your eyes from light pulses. The doctor will also apply a thin layer of cooling gel to the skin surrounding your eyes to shield that delicate area.

You may feel minor discomfort as your eye doctor pulses the light to your skin. After the treatment successfully unclogs your meibomian glands, your eye doctor will remove the melted oil from your eyes. That will facilitate the normal flow of oil into your tears.

OptiLight treatment lasts only 10 to 15 minutes. There is no recovery time, and you can get back to your routine right away, including wearing makeup, in most cases.

What Should You Expect After Treatment?

Your treated eye may look red immediately after the treatment. But that clears up after a few hours. Your eye doctor will advise you to avoid direct sun exposure and use sunscreen and protective sunglasses outdoors.

When Will You See Improvement?

You can expect to experience results after two to three treatment sessions. For best outcomes, eye doctors recommend taking four sessions. To guarantee lasting results, you may need to visit your eye doctor every six to 12 months for a care session.

Is OptiLight Treatment Suitable for You?

If you have severe dry eye, your eye doctor may recommend OptiLight therapy. Lubricating eye drops, eye massages, and warm compresses can ease your dry eye, but they may only offer temporary relief. Besides, these treatments work best to treat mild to moderate symptoms of dry eye.

Talk to your eye doctor about OptiLight therapy. It may give you the long-term relief you need for healthy and comfortable eyes and eyesight.

For more on OptiLight and how it can manage your dry eye, call City Eyes Optometry Center at (818) 960-1300 to reach our office in Sherman Oaks, California.