Intense Pulse Light for Dry Eye Disease First Published Paper 2003

Eye World News Magazine 2003
Toyos, R, Buffa C, Youngerman S
no longer available on line now available at
www.toyosclinic...
Dry-eye syndrome is one of the most commonly diagnosed ophthalmic conditions in the general U.S. population. Estimated frequency of dry-eye syndrome ranges from 11% to 17% in the general U.S. populations. Certain autoimmune diseases, medications, environmental factors, smoking, diabetes, increased age and menopause have been associated with dry-eye syndrome. Common symptoms of dry-eye include dryness, grittiness, burning, ocular fatigue, redness, soreness, and foreign body sensation. Current treatment options for dry-eye patients include artificial tears, medicated ophthalmic drops, oral antibiotics and punctual occlusion.
However, these therapies may not alleviate symptoms in some patients.
Due to the considerable population affected by this condition, identifying novel and successful treatment options is critical for improving the quality of life for dry-eye patients.
Dry-eye disease involves both inflammatory and vascular components. Common vascular and inflammatory dry-eye symptoms include ocular erythema and telangiectasia, which are also characteristics of both cutaneous an ocular rosacea. Several studies have identified successful pulsed light treatment of rosacea associated facial erythema and telangiectasia.
We have observed similar results in rosacea patients treated with intense pulsed light for facial erythema and telangiectasia. We have also observed improvement of dry-eye symptoms in these laser treated patients. We present one such dry-eye case to demonstrate the prospective benefits of intense pulsed light therapy for dry-eye patients
Case Study
A 42-year-old Caucasian female initially presented to our clinic for a routine glaucoma evaluation in September 2003.
The patient had a history of hypothyroidism controlled with oral medication. The patient presented with primary open angle glaucoma and had been prescribed latanoprost ophthalmic solution (Pfizer, N.Y.) for seven years.
During initial examination, the intraocular pressure was 16 mm Hg in the right eye and 16 mm Hg in the left eye. The patient wore soft contact lenses with BCVA 20/20 in the right eye and 20/20 in the left eye. The patient reported “unbearable dry-eye symptoms” that were unresponsive to artificial tears and punctal plugs.
Throughout the course of 13 months following the initial visit, the patient visited our office five times and exhibited repeated bilateral punctate epithelial erosions, allergic conjunctivitis, and Meibomian gland disorder. These conditions were unresponsive to treatment with artificial tears, cyclosporine ophthalmic emulsion 0.05% (Restasis, Allergan, Irvine, Calif.), brimonidine tartrate ophthalmic solution 0.15% (Alphagan, Allergan) epinastineHCl ophthalmic solution 0.05% (Inspire Pharmaceuticals, Durham, N.C.) and 30 days of oral doxycycline (100 mg, b.i.d.).
The patient’s IOP remained below 16mm Hg for both eyes and BCVA with soft contact lenses remained 20/20 for both the right and left eyes for the entire 13 months.
To note, the patient discontinued use of latanoprost ophthalmic solution (Xalatan, Pfizer) began travoprost ophthalmic solutions 0.004% (Travatan, Alcon, Fort Worth, Texas) five months after the initial visit.
Treatment
In October 2004, the patient returned to our office and exhibited bilateral punctate epithelial erosions and Meibomian gland disorder.Baseline Schirmer’s test with anesthesia results wer 8mm OD and 0 mm OS, and tear break up time was four seconds OD and five seconds OS. ...................................
The rest is available at the link at the top. For a complete reprint email [e-mail] or [e-mail] or call Toyos Clinic at 901-683-7255 and ask for Nikki
For more complete info on IPL and other Dry Eye Disease Treatments read Dry Eye Disease Treatment in the Year 2020 available on Amazon at the link below
www.amazon.com...

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