Inventor of the procedure of Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) for dry eye disease, US ophthalmologist Dr Rolando Toyos will travel to Australia next month to present a lecture series on the management of dry eye disease using IPL.
Dr Toyos has been studying the use of IPL to treat dry eye disease for 23 years, amassing a strong evidence base for his treatment protocols, and succeeding in achieving United States Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the use of the Lumenis M22 IPL to manage dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). he M22 is also registered in Australia with the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
There are people taking shortcuts and others deviating from these protocols to come up with their own, with no scientific evidence base
IPL therapy has traditionally been used to improve the colour and texture of skin without surgery. The M22 IPL treats periocular inflammatory conditions such as rosacea and telangiectasia, which can lead to ocular surface conditions such as dry eye – 80% of rosacea patients suffer from MGD.1
A FOREIGN TECHNOLOGY NOW EMBRACED
Dr Toyos said it took many years to convince eye care professionals (ECPs) of IPL’s efficacy as a treatment for dry eye as it was a “big paradigm shift”. Having been taught that dry eye is a condition associated with a lack of water, they needed to realise that it is, in fact, a skin, gland, and systemic condition, he said. Additionally, they had to be convinced that a device that does not make physical contact with the eye could treat the condition.
“It’s technology that was foreign to an eye doctor,” he said, adding that these days, IPL is being used by ECPs worldwide.
However, Dr Toyos is increasingly concerned that many practitioners are no longer using the protocols he has tested and proven over time through FDA-reviewed studies.
“There are people taking shortcuts and others deviating from these protocols to come up with their own, with no scientific evidence base. And patients, who want to try the next new, shiny treatment on offer, go along with it. They are not getting the true effect of IPL treatment, which means efficacy is decreasing,” he said.
HOPES TO REVERSE THE TREND
In Australia Dr Toyos hopes to reverse this trend by teaching ECPs the evidence base behind his FDA-approved protocols.
He will also encourage ECPs to consider their over-arching dry eye disease treatment philosophy, and then allow this philosophy to guide their decisions.
“I often treat patients who’ve seen four or five doctors and they’ve had every treatment thrown at them with no order or reason,” he said.
With a treatment philosophy in mind, he believes practitioners will focus on treatment solutions that are congruent with their overall goal instead of a scattershot approach of incorporating every new thing that comes along.
Depending on the patient, that philosophy may be to treat inflammation, improve the skin, or do something to make the meibomian glands work better. While it may involve therapeutic artificial tears or a drop that reduces the bacterial load, he said what’s important is for ECPs to realise that it should not simply involve wetting the eye because this will not make the patient’s meibomian glands work more effectively or help them to make their own natural tears.
DIET, LIFESTYLE AND SUPPLEMENTS
Dr Toyos hopes that when he lands in Australia, he will be bringing his latest book – the third in a trilogy and a follow-up to one he wrote on dry eye management with IPL back in 2013. Titled Diet, Lifestyle and Supplements for Dry Eye Disease, the book is written for patient use.
“I am a dry eye patient, four out of five people in my household live with dry eye, and I have been recommending diet, lifestyle, and supplement changes to dry eye patients for the past four years. I’ve also researched the latest scientific evidence.”
By drawing on this knowledge and experience he said this new book provides concrete diet and lifestyle recommendations for a holistic way to reduce the signs and symptoms of inflammation in dry eye and beyond.
REGISTER FOR THE LECTURE SERIES
The lecture series has been organised by the founder of Dry Eye Solution, Liz Barrett. It will be presented live and online. Personalised training workshops can also be arranged.
Find out more at dryeyesolution.com.au/optoms.
Reference
1. lumenis.com.au/vision/products/dry-eye-and-optima-ipl.
