IPL therapy aids in dry eye

Results of a study designed to investigate the addition of microdermabrasion to intense pulsed light (IPL) therapy in patients with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and dry eye syndrome corroborate the efficacy of IPL for increasing tear break-up time (TBUT) and decreasing dry eye symptoms but fail to confirm the hypothesis that the benefits of IPL may be enhanced by microdermabrasion, said Dr Rolando Toyos at the annual meeting of the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS).

The study of adjunctive dermabrasion enrolled 15 patients with MGD and symptomatic dry eye who had a TBUT <6 seconds. The patients again underwent IPL across the entire midface, but microdermabrasion was performed on one side only prior to IPL. Patients were treated until symptoms resolved, for total of two to four treatments.

"While this study failed to find a benefit for adding microdermabrasion to IPL, it was a small pilot trial and there is reasonable scientific rationale supporting the combination technique," affirmed Dr Toyos, medical director, Toyos Clinic, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. "Therefore, further study seems warranted."