Home Eye Spa questions

[JJdryeye]

Dr. Latkany, I recently purchased your book and just wanted to ask if you could clarify a few things regarding the home spa treatment:

1) Should I be able to see the contents from the meibomian gland expression with the naked eye?

2) Do you feel there is any benefit to adding eyelid massage to this?

3) Do you still feel that once a day, 3 minutes of heat is enough?

4) How long should I give home spa method before moving on? The case study in your book suggests it could take up to 6 months.

Thank you!

[Debbi]

I really like the Home Eye Spa for severe MGD and severe dry eye in combination w/other things. For me, the best and most convenient source for warm compresses for the eye. I use it in the morning after pf saline gently rinsed in eyes (Unisol) Then I use Heat Spa for atleast 5 minutes or longer. After that, I use generous amount of PF Oasis Plus Tears. This seems to get my day off to a better start. I do the same thing every evening. Sometimes I will use a softened gel ice pack in the middle of the day thinking that maybe it will help with inflammation.
I also drink lots of water throughout the day. It's a lot of work and time for all of this, but you gotta do what you gotta do to have some quality of life!

Do you think Dr. Latkany will reply to your questions?

Can you use heat too frequently? How do you know? I also don't see anything from glands after massage.

Thank you! Debbi

[Debbi]

Hi, I just noticed you are in Florida. I'm new to the site, not to the eye issues! and thought if you are not too far away perhaps we could meet and share good info.
Debbi

[zoso967]

Dr. Latkany, I recently purchased your book and just wanted to ask if you could clarify a few things regarding the home spa treatment:

1) Should I be able to see the contents from the meibomian gland expression with the naked eye?

2) Do you feel there is any benefit to adding eyelid massage to this?

3) Do you still feel that once a day, 3 minutes of heat is enough?

4) How long should I give home spa method before moving on? The case study in your book suggests it could take up to 6 months.

Thank you!

Hello,

I am a patient of Dr Latkany and while I cannot speak for him I did ask him question #1 and no, you cannot see the contents coming out with the naked eye.

In my experience, when I use warm compresses the oils cloud my vision for a while. I have been told this is normal. Something I noticed on my own is that when I do the compresses regularly eventually my vision is clear immediately afterwards.

I was examined once (by another opthalmologist) after regular daily compresses with immediately clear vision and was told I do not have MGD as the oils are not inspisated and the glands are not inflamed.

So, IMHO I believe that the more regularly do the compresses the better the quality of the oils and the clearer your vision will be immediately following a warm compress.

I'd like to know if anyone else made this correlation.

[JJdryeye]

I really like the Home Eye Spa for severe MGD and severe dry eye in combination w/other things. For me, the best and most convenient source for warm compresses for the eye. I use it in the morning after pf saline gently rinsed in eyes (Unisol) Then I use Heat Spa for atleast 5 minutes or longer. After that, I use generous amount of PF Oasis Plus Tears. This seems to get my day off to a better start. I do the same thing every evening. Sometimes I will use a softened gel ice pack in the middle of the day thinking that maybe it will help with inflammation.
I also drink lots of water throughout the day. It's a lot of work and time for all of this, but you gotta do what you gotta do to have some quality of life!

Do you think Dr. Latkany will reply to your questions?

Can you use heat too frequently? How do you know? I also don't see anything from glands after massage.

Thank you! Debbi

Hi Debbi, some people have mentioned on here that using heat too frequently (or too high of a heat) causes inflamation. I've found that 2 shorter treatments per day of heat from a rice bag (6-8 minutes each) is best for me. Yet if I go up to 3 treatments of 15 min. each per day, then it actually causes more inflammation. I think it all just depends on the person. Yep, I'm in florida also. PM me if you want to share ideas on all this.

[JJdryeye]

Hello,

I am a patient of Dr Latkany and while I cannot speak for him I did ask him question #1 and no, you cannot see the contents coming out with the naked eye.

In my experience, when I use warm compresses the oils cloud my vision for a while. I have been told this is normal. Something I noticed on my own is that when I do the compresses regularly eventually my vision is clear immediately afterwards.

I was examined once (by another opthalmologist) after regular daily compresses with immediately clear vision and was told I do not have MGD as the oils are not inspisated and the glands are not inflamed.

So, IMHO I believe that the more regularly do the compresses the better the quality of the oils and the clearer your vision will be immediately following a warm compress.

I'd like to know if anyone else made this correlation.

Thanks Zoso. I have also found this. The first week I ever used a warm rice bag treatment, my eyes were so blurry for about 10 minutes after each treatment that I couldn't even use a computer. This diminished after 2 or 3 weeks, to the point that several months later, my vision is mostly clear after the treatments, with just a little blurring. I always wondered if the blurriness was caused by the oil or just from blood rushing to the eye as a reaction to all the heat. But it sounds like an opthamologist confirimed with you that it's the oil that causes it?

[zoso967]

I've been told by two opth's that it's the oils ...

[magoo]

The pressure from the weight of the rice bag makes my vision blurry for awhile afterwards. (I tested this out by not heating the baggy but placed it on my eyes like I usually do)

[Robert Latkany MD]

All you guys are the greatest. All bright and very compassionate. You can thank Rebecca for having this forum.