BOSTON, Mass (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- It makes millions miserable. Dry eye disease is caused by a variety of things and standard treatment usually means medications, daily eye drops, and ointments. Now there’s a new eye-opening option for sufferers and it only takes few minutes.
“I felt like I had a piece of glass in my eye,” dry eye patient, Diana Galson-Kooy, told Ivanhoe.
Diana Galson-Kooy has suffered with dry eye disease for years.
“I’ve kind of gotten used to the pain,” Galson-Kooy said.
It is caused by things like prolonged contact lens wear, birth control, anti-histamines, and even staring a screen. Evaporative dry eye affects the glands that make tears.
“Her tears that she’s making are leaving her eyes much quicker than she should be,” Dr. Ernest Kornmehl, MD, FACS, at Kornmehl Laser Eye Associates told Ivanhoe.
Dr. Ernest Kornmehl says, like Diana, the majority of his patients come in for dry eye treatments. He is recommending this treatment for many.
“Perfect, you’re doing wonderfully,” Dr. Kornmehl said.
It is called LipiFLow.
“It takes 12 minutes and patients go to work immediately after the procedure,” Dr. Kornmehl explained.
Cups surround the eyelids. They heat up and pulsate to melt blockages in her tear glands.
“It doesn’t hurt. It just is strange,” Galson-Kooy said.
In FDA trials, 79 percent of LipiFlow patients showed improvement. The doctor says those improvements can last nine to 15 months. Some LipiFlow patients, like Diana, will still need additional treatments.
“They find themselves not taking the drops or ointments as they were before,” Dr. Kornmehl said.
Right after Diana’s treatment, “my eyes feel lubricated,” she said.
It has brought some much needed tears to her eyes.
“It was unbelievable,” Diana explained.
LipiFlow is FDA approved, but it is not covered by insurance. The cost per eye can range between 700 and 11 hundred dollars.
If this story or any other Ivanhoe story has impacted your life or prompted you or someone you know to seek or change treatments, please let us know by contacting Andrew Mcintosh at amcintosh@ivanhoe.com
Denotes Premium Content in Latest Medical News