Radio Frequency Dry Eye Treatment
In New York City
Radio frequency therapy (or RF, for short) is a non-surgical dry eye treatment that treats evaporative dry eye disease and meibomian gland dysfunction by using radio frequency to heat up and break up blockages within the glands allowing for them to properly secrete oil. The monopolar radio frequency used by RF devices like Forma allows for deeper penetration of heat into the skin, ensuring complete breaking apart of any oil blockages. It also increases ATP and collagen production in the treated area, providing cosmetic benefits and boosting regrowth of damaged and atrophied glands.
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What Is Radio Frequency Dry Eye Treatment ?
Radio frequency therapy (or RF, for short) is a non-surgical dry eye treatment that treats evaporative dry eye disease and meibomian gland dysfunction by using radio frequency to heat up and break up blockages within the glands allowing for them to properly secrete oil. The monopolar radio frequency used by RF devices like Forma allows for deeper penetration of heat into the skin, ensuring complete breaking apart of any oil blockages. It also increases ATP and collagen production in the treated area, providing cosmetic benefits and boosting regrowth of damaged and atrophied glands.
While other dry eye treatments like BlephEx might provide some short term relief in terms of dry eye symptoms, RF, similarly to IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) treatment treats the underlying causes of dry eyes and blepharitis. It improves the overall quality of the tear film and breaks the chronic cycle of inflammation associated with meibomian gland dysfunction and blepharitis, providing long term relief from dryness and decreasing your dependence on at home treatments like artificial tears, andchronic warm compresses and lid wipes.
Benefits of Radio Frequency Dry Eye Treatment
- Relieves chronic dry eye symptoms
- Relieves meibomian gland dysfunction
- Decreases the need for at home constant treatment like continuous lubricating drops and/ or warm compresses and lid foam
- Improved vision
- Minimally invasive and painless
- No recovery time
- Gets rid of demodex mites
- Not super restrictive or time consuming
- Aids in regrowth of meibomian glands
Who is a Candidate for Radio Frequency Dry Eye Treatment?
The best candidates for RF are patients suffering from chronic blepharitis and styes that show no sign of improvement even after receiving courses of ointments and injections, or those patients tired of using chronic heat and lid wipes to improve their blepharitis. RF provides a non-surgical approach to treating and breaking apart those lingering styes by generating a deeper penetrating heat than you would normally get with warm compresses or other heated approaches. Those suffering from Demodex blepharitis are also a perfect fit since the heat also kills any of the mites buried inside the hair follicles or meibomian glands that are contributing to any itchiness or tearing associated with dry eyes. Patients suffering from chronic dry eye who find no relief from over the counter drops or chronic prescription dry eye drops are also ideal candidates for RF.
Contraindications to RF are patients with pacemakers or those who have any metallic implants or tattoos near or on the treated area as those will absorb a lot more heat and cause possible burning.
How is Radio Frequency Dry Eye Treatment Performed ?
Radio frequency treatment is a quick procedure that only takes between 20-40 minutes in total. During the procedure you will first be reclined on an exam chair as your provider applies a generous amount of ultrasound gel to the treated area to act a bit as a cooling buffer for safety and to make sure the skin is comfortable during the procedure. Afterwards your provider will use the RF device in a c shape pattern around your eyes providing heat to the top and bottom lids for 5 minutes. This step will then be repeated three more times alternating between eyes each time making sure both get a combined total of 10 minutes of heating. Finally, the area around the eyes is cleaned off and a meibomian gland expression is performed by your provider. During the entire procedure you’re welcome to wear air buds and listen to music or a podcast. You can communicate the entire time during the procedure to adjust any portion of the treatment if you experience any discomfort or would like an adjustment. During the procedure, you might also be asked to remove your contact lenses as there’s a small chance ultrasound gel can get on them causing irritation.
Each patient is assessed individually to determine what the best dry eye/ blepharitis treatment is for them by Dr. Rapoport and a plan is made in consultation together.
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