Cincinnati Optometrist Group Adds Dry Eye Clinic

CINCINNATI, OHIO, USA, March 23: Madeira Optical has expanded their dry eye treatment options and added a dry eye clinic with the first full year in 2023. The practice has long treated symptoms of dry eye, but when the FDA approved intense pulsed light or IPL for treatment of dry eye, Madeira Optical decided to expand their capabilities and add a Marco EPI-C® IPL with additional low level light therapy options, or LLLT. In addition, the Madiera Optical team added the OCULUS Keratograph 5M®. The new dry eye clinic is now open for clinical treatment. The EPI-C®, similar to the well established Eye Light in Europe, is an (intensive pulse light) IPL and low-level light therapy (LLLT), which combines light modulation with OPE. Eye-Light® simultaneously treats the lower and upper eyelids with direct and indirect applications and has the added benefit of not needing the application of gel during the treatment process, thanks to the patented and unique cooling module. IPL is an FDA approved therapy that treats the Meibomian glands. Applied on periorbital and cheekbone areas, it was verified by various neurological studies that the emission of high-power light impulses leads to a stimulation of neurotransmitters. These solicit the Meibomian glands to produce, contracting, a higher secretion thus increasing the natural lipid flow which reduces tears evaporation. The LLLT mask utilizes medical grade LEDs for light modulation, a photobiomodulation technology that stimulates the production of ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) by emitting a specific wavelength of light. It also significantly warms the eyelids to temperatures recommended for periorbital heat treatment. The increase in cellular action that triggers endogenous heat combined with the external thermal heating helps stimulate the normalization of the glands. This technology has been used in medicine for over 10 years but only until recently did doctors discover its benefit for periocular inflammatory conditions. The OCULUS Keratograph® 5M integrates a high definition camera, keratometer, and corneal topographer into one seamless and state-of-the-art imaging machine. Surface eye diseases are no match for this precise and innovative tool, which integrates with computer technology to create detailed, full-color digital images of your eye. If you have dry eye disease, we will use the round camera lens to examine your Meibomian glands (also called your tarsal glands). These glands produce the oil layer of your tear film, which keeps them from drying out and evaporating. The Keratograph allows us to test the break-up time of your tear film, the height of your tear meniscus, and the condition of your eye’s lipid layer.