Dry Eye Syndrome is the most frequent reason patients visit their eye doctors. There are over 100 million worldwide who have been diagnosed with dry eye. Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) affects 86% of all those with dry eye and it’s treatable. We work hard to provide the best diagnostic tools and options to treat your dry eye. Here at Updegraff Laser Vision, we have been serving the people of Saint Petersburg and Tampa Bay for over 20 years with our state-of-the-art dry eye treatments. MGD is the blockage and eventual loss (if not treated) of your meibomian glands. MGD can cause several different dry eye symptoms including redness, burning, watering, and foreign body sensations. Without effective treatment of your dry eye, symptoms and gland structure are likely to worsen over time. The worsening of gland structure can cause further discomfort, permanent loss of gland function, cell damage, and visual degradation. Our dry eye specialists work hard to provide the best diagnostic tools and dry eye treatment options.
Here at Updegraff Laser Vision, we have one of few LipiScan diagnostic tests in the Tampa Bay and Saint Petersburg area. The LipiScan is a high-definition imaging device that allows us to evaluate the structure of your meibomian glands. This helps our dry eye specialists to see if MGD is causing your dry eye symptoms. Structural compromise, which is otherwise invisible, can be identified and documented with these images. Meibomian gland structural compromise is irreversible and progressive. As your gland structure worsens, so do your dry eye symptoms. We provide the LipiScan imaging for any patient with dry eyes to better understand what is causing the symptoms they are experiencing. For more information, click here.
Updegraff Laser Vision is one of the few practices in the Saint Petersburg and Tampa Bay area that performs the LipiFlow treatment. LipiFlow is the only FDA-approved device for removing gland blockages and restoring gland function. Through advances in the application of thermal pulsation technology, LipiFlow utilizes heat applied to the inner eyelids and massage applied to the outer eyelids to remove the obstructions in your meibomian glands. MGD is a chronic dry eye disease and unfortunately, no known treatment is completely permanent. The goal of LipiFlow is to clear out your blocked oil glands, restore the natural flow of oily lipids and prevent further damage to the glands. This, in turn, should aid your dry eye symptoms. Sustained dry eye relief from LipiFlow is a function of numerous factors including how long you have had the disease, general health, and whether you follow the post-treatment regimen given. Typically, LipiFlow provides significant relief from your dry eye symptoms for 18 to 24 months. In a recent clinical study, 79 percent of patients reported improved overall dry eye symptoms within a few weeks of a single treatment. Our dry eye counselors and specialists work diligently to provide information and treatment for the people of Saint Petersburg and Tampa Bay. Feel free to give us a call if you have any questions or would like to book a consultation with a dry eye specialist. For more information about Lipiflow from the manufacturer, click here.
The Dry Eye Relief Mask (D.E.R.M.) is a moist-heat/cold compress mask made from silica beads intended to help relieve dry eye discomfort. Heating the mask in a microwave for 20 seconds allows up to 7-9 minutes of moist heat. You can also freeze the mask for a cold compress. We recommend the use of the Dry Eye Relief Mask to all of our dry eye patients. It is the most effective way for our dry eye patients to do a warm compress with even and consistent heat the whole time. Most patients use this mask every morning and evening to help keep their oil glands functioning properly. Warm compresses are important both before, and after a LipiFlow procedure, to help reduce dry eye symptoms. You can pick up a D.E.R.M. any time at the front desk of our Saint Petersburg office.
HydroEye is a patented, oral, nutritional formulation that works from the inside out to provide continuous support for dry eyes. HydroEye delivers a proprietary blend of omega fatty acids (GLA, EPA, and DHA), antioxidants, and other key nutrients that work together to support a healthy tear film and soothe the ocular surface, which is all meant to help relieve dry eye symptoms. You can pick up HydroEye any time at the front desk of our Saint Petersburg office. You can also go to www.sbh.com to order HydroEye online. For more information about Hydroeye, click here.
