New technology has been launched in Australia to help optometrists treat the growing number of people experiencing dry eye, often caused by excessive screen time.
Almost one in three Australians report deteriorating eye health due to spending more time in front of screens, including laptops and mobile phones.
“The InMode Envision platform is a game changer in the optometry industry as eye drops, steroids, even surgery have long been the ‘band-aid’ solution for people battling itchy, red eyes and a slight burning sensation, which are all symptoms of dry eye,” said Canadian optometrist and dry eye specialist Dr Bruce Dornn.
“This new non-invasive technology uses bipolar radio frequency, has precision depth control, and is designed specifically for upper and lower eyelid area, where the thinnest skin on your body is located,” said Dr Dornn.
This controlled, targeted heat stimulates collagen formation, bringing white blood cells and stem cells to the skin around the eyes
“In Canada the adoption rate of the new technology by optometrists is extremely high as they shift away from using a medical form of treatment for dry eye to instead treating the cause and rejuvenating glands around the eye using the InMode technology.
“Unblocking the meibomian glands and getting them to produce their own tears again is much healthier than relying on prescription eye drops, often for life, which is inconvenient and costly,” he said.
Eight in 10 Australians will suffer dry eye according to the latest Optometry Vision Index report. Of those affected, more than half only developed the condition since the COVID-19 pandemic when our reliance on screens increased.1
“The human eye is one of the most important sensory organs, extracting and processing more than 10 million pieces of information per second and blinking 15–20 times per minute on average but blinking decreases while on screens, which can lead to dry eye,” InMode’s Managing Director Dennis Cronje said.
“Forma-I uses bipolar radiofrequency energy to generate heat which is applied to the upper and lower eyelids. This controlled, targeted heat stimulates collagen formation, bringing white blood cells and stem cells to the skin around the eyes.
“Lumecca Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) also on the Envision Platform (Lumecca-I), aims to stop the inflammatory process, treat dry eye, ocular rosacea, and meibomian gland dysfunction,” he said.
Envision also carries Morpheus8, a minimally invasive fractional needling applicator used to improve skin appearance on the face and body, Mr Cronje said.
Reference
- Optometry Australia, 2022 Vision Index Report, available at optometry.org.au/wp-content/uploads/GVFL/Vision_Index/2022-Vision-Index-Report.pdf [accessed 23 June 2023].
