Introduction
The tear film lipid layer is compromised in evaporative dry eye patients, resulting in less protection against tear evaporation.1 One of the most common causes is obstruction of the meibomian glands by stiffened meibum and cellular debris.1 Because patients with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) have a higher meibum melting point and lower eyelid temperature compared to healthy patients, heat therapy and gland expression are often the first treatments recommended for these patients to melt the oils and evacuate the glands.2-4
Reaching and maintaining the therapeutic temperature and ensuring patient compliance with at-home therapies have been a few barriers to MGD treatment success.4 Systane iLux is an in-office heating and expression treatment that has been shown to be effective at improving meibomian gland secretion, tear film stability, and dryness symptoms by as early as one week after treatment.5 The latest version, Systane iLux2, has a high-resolution screen and provides capabilities such as photo/video capture and storage, including infrared imaging of the meibomian glands.
Eric Donnenfeld, MD and Damon Dierker, OD discuss the Systane iLux technology and the benefits it brings to preoperative dry eye management..