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Saturday / February 8.
HomemitechnologyDry Eye Tech Expands Practice Offering

Dry Eye Tech Expands Practice Offering

InMode is tackling the cause of dry eye disease with Envision, an innovative platform that uses bipolar radio frequency (RF) technology to generate heat, which softens lipids, enabling the expression of clogged meibomian glands. mivision spoke to Dennis Cronje, Managing Director at InMode Australia, to find out more about this innovative technology.

Much like building blocks, the Envision platform is scalable with three technologies that can be used independently or in combination. The Forma-I is at the heart of the platform, providing the means to deliver RF to the periorbital area and directly on the upper and lower lids. Then there’s Lumecca Intense Pulsed Light (IPL), which aims to stop the inflammatory process, and Morpheus8, a device for aesthetic treatments.

15 YEARS IN THE MAKING

InMode is not new to the market. The NASDAQ-listed company has been around for 15 years with its technology used globally across multiple areas.

Mr Cronje said most of InMode’s “minimally invasive and non-invasive technologies” can be performed in an office environment.

“About 90% of our technologies are RF based, providing non-surgical treatments for skin tightening, body contouring, fat destruction, and women’s gynaecological health. Our IPL technology is used to treat pigmentation, sunspots, etc., electrical muscle stimulation (EMS) for muscle strengthening and toning, and laser for hair removal.”

When considering the use of InMode’s existing technology to treat dry eye, Mr Cronje said, “The one challenge that we saw was that the majority of technologies that are available were treating the symptoms, but not the cause. So, they were coming in almost at step two, whereas with Envision, we took it back to step one.”

SAFETY FIRST

By applying bipolar RF directly onto the eyelid, he said it is possible to safely heat and soften the clogged meibomian glands. The pressure of the applicator on the eye lid, meanwhile, assists with meibomian gland expression.

“And it’s the blocked glands that are generally the major cause for dry eye; the release of lipids or oil into the tear film is significantly reduced, resulting in significantly higher evaporation of the watery tear film. When you have increased evaporation, you don’t have enough oxygen going through to the eye, and you start to develop complications including bacterial infections, dryness, itchiness, etc.”

In addition to using Envision to soften the meibomian glands, InMode’s light-based technology (IPL) can be used to target inflammation by treating neovascular vessels in the superficial layer of the epidermis. By reducing vascularity, Mr Cronje said “you reduce the inflammation around the eyes, freeing up the glands to do what they normally do”.

And then there is Morpheus8, which he described as the company’s “blockbuster technology”. Morpheus8 uses superficial resurfacing and deep fractional RF microneedling technology to coagulate and contract tissue, while also promoting collagen remodelling.

“Morpheus8 lifts and softens the eyelids and treats fine lines in the periorbital area. If desired, practitioners can also use this device to treat the patient’s entire face and neck,” Mr Cronje said.

AESTHETICS TO EXPAND SCOPE

This is where the aesthetic side comes in. “The combination of these three technologies on one platform provides the operator, or the provider, with an effective solution for a very debilitating problem for many patients, while also opening up the opportunity to expand the offerings in clinic,” Mr Cronje explained.

Patients will usually have a course of one to four treatments, depending on the severity of the condition, and then return for a ‘top-up’ every six months or once a year. The effect of the collagen remodelling, and stimulation of the fibro septal network, noticeably improves elasticity within the skin at “about three to six months” with improvements sustained for up to three to five years.

He said the Envision platform, which has been embraced by optometrists in Canada, is now listed to treat dry eye disease in Australia by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

Around 150 practices in Canada installed the Envision platform in 2022, Mr Cronje reported. He said the “more entrepreneurial” practitioners have embraced the opportunity to expand their scope of practice into aesthetics. In many practices, non-medically trained staff are upskilling to perform most of the procedures, with optometrists or ophthalmologists stepping in to perform meibomian expression and potentially the Lumecca IPL treatment.

“In Australia, we’re still in the infancy stage… the feedback has been extremely positive because the technology is so easy to use” with controls in place to ensure safety and technique. He said there has also been interest from eye care educators.

InMode officially launched the Envision platform in Australia in mid-September.

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