Clinical Optometry (Oct 2019)

Intense Pulsed Light Therapy In The Treatment Of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction: Current Perspectives

  • Giannaccare G,
  • Taroni L,
  • Senni C,
  • Scorcia V

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 11
pp. 113 – 126

Abstract

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Giuseppe Giannaccare,1,* Leonardo Taroni,2,* Carlotta Senni,2 Vincenzo Scorcia1 1Department of Ophthalmology, University “Magna Græcia”, Catanzaro, Italy; 2Department of Ophthalmology, S. Orsola-Malpighi University Hospital, Bologna, Italy*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Giuseppe GiannaccareDepartment of Ophthalmology, University “Magna Græcia”, Viale Europa, Catanzaro, Germaneto 88100, ItalyTel +39 3317186201Email [email protected]: Dry eye disease (DED) is among the most common condition encountered during ophthalmic practice, reducing patient’s quality of life and work productivity. Most of DED cases have an evaporative component originated from a meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). Conventional treatments such as tear substitute, warm compresses, topical anti-inflammatory agents and/or antibiotics often are not able to provide a complete and long-term relief of symptoms and signs. Intense pulsed light (IPL) has been widely used in the field of dermatology to treat various skin conditions, and it has been recently introduced in the ophthalmic practice for the management of DED due to MGD. To date, several clinical studies showed positive results of IPL as adjuvant therapy for DED in terms of both safety and efficacy. The treatment is usually well accepted among patients for its non-invasive nature; very rare are the major adverse reactions. Moreover, results can be maintained over time with periodic sessions of IPL. This review summarizes the clinical outcomes of IPL therapy in MGD patients pointing out its potential role in the therapeutic algorithm of the disease. Further clinical investigations are desirable to identify factors able to predict the positive outcomes of the procedure and therefore to select in advance those patients who best benefit from IPL therapy.Keywords: intense pulsed light, meibomian gland disease, dry eye disease, evaporative dry eye

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