Inflammation is a key factor in dry eye disease. If left untreated, inflammation drives increased dry eyes and damage to your eyes.
Intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy has emerged as a longstanding solution for evaporative eye disease, especially for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), with several approved devices dedicated to addressing dry eye associated with it. The connection between Dry Eye Disease (DED) and inflammatory skin conditions, notably facial rosacea, has been evident for some time.
Dermatologists widely acknowledge IPL therapy as effective for rosacea, and patients have reported anecdotal improvements in DED over time. Recent studies have further affirmed IPL's therapeutic benefits for DED, although its precise mechanism of action remains unclear.
Various mechanisms have been proposed to explain IPL's efficacy, including the thrombosis of abnormal blood vessels, heating of meibum, modulation of epithelial turnover, photomodulation, activation of fibroblasts, enhancement of collagen synthesis, elimination of Demodex, modulation of pro and anti-inflammatory molecule secretion, and suppression of matrix metalloproteinases.
In the context of skin conditions, IPL treatment has been observed to reduce matrix metalloproteinase concentration, likely through mRNA down-regulation. Additionally, IPL down-regulates TNF-alpha expression. IPL treatment may also up-regulate anti-inflammatory cytokines while inhibiting inflammatory ones. Notably, Interleukin-10, a key anti-inflammatory protein, has shown significant up-regulation following IPL therapy.
IPL therapy doesn't involve medication ingestion or eye drops. Its advantage lies in its non-compliance nature; patients often experience lasting relief from dry eye symptoms without the need for daily eye care routines or continuous eye drop usage.
💢 Ciclosporin
Unlike steroid eye drops, these are designed for long term usage and do not result in adverse effects.
Steroid Inflammatory Eye Drops (short-term usage)
Although steroid eye drops are effective, they are generally recommended only at low-dose and short-term use because prolonged use may result in adverse events including eye infection, glaucoma, corneal thinning and cataracts.
<aside> 💡 It is important to note that treatments outlined below should still be used in conjunction with those outlined in Dry Eye Treatment Starts Here!
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