Cataract surgery houston,Dry eye houston,Laser cataract surgery houston
In honor of Cataract Awareness Month we wanted to introduce something we offer that doesn’t treat cataracts, but actually may assist in better cataract surgery outcomes.
We love to educate patients on cataracts, the causes, symptoms, and treatments available, so we created this CATARACT BLOG a couple of years ago for that background. We also share all of our updates on new lenses and technologies available in Laser Assisted Cataract Surgery on our CATARACT PAGE.
However, in this article we wanted to share information about The LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System by Johnson & Johnson and how it has been shown to help preoperatively before cataract surgery.
Many patients we see suffer from dry eyes, and a significant amount of those patients have dry eyes due to a disorder called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction or “MGD”. There are a few treatments available for treating Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, but LipiFlow is the only FDA-cleared device for removing gland blockages and restoring gland function.
Through advances in the application of Vectored Thermal Pulsation (VTPTM) technology, the LipiFlow treatment utilizes a patented algorithm of heat applied to the inner eyelids and massage to remove the obstructions in your meibomian glands.
When a patient with MGD or dry eyes, comes to see us for cataract surgery, our surgeons always look to see what we can do about the ocular surface to improve their surgery outcomes.
A new study investigating the preoperative effects of the LipiFlow treatment prior to cataract surgery has been conducted and published in the American Journal of Ophthalmology . It analyzed the effects of the treatment to help alleviate MGD and dry eye that could be produced by cataract surgery. Patients in the treatment group of this trial received LipiFlow 3 weeks before they underwent cataract surgery and this study ultimately found that those patients treated with LipiFlow prior to cataract surgery had “significantly improved meibomian gland patency and quality of meibum secretion, increased TBUT, and reduction in corneal staining. The control group in the trial demonstrated “worsening across all of these categories.”
The outcome of this trial showcases that preoperative management with LipiFlow prior to cataract surgery may ensure better outcomes by triggering improvements in ocular surface and meibomian gland parameters as well as subjective dry eye symptoms.
If you have dry eyes, with or without a cataract, Slade & Baker Vision has several potential solutions available. We offer LipiFlow as well as Serum Tears which you can read more about on our Dry Eyes Page. Call us today at 713-626-5544 or email us at info@visiontexas.com if you want to learn more about dry eye treatment and especially if you are looking to have cataract surgery in the near future and feel your eyes are already dry.
