Dry Eye Therapy in Leawood & Prairie Village KS

Tear Care System

TearCare is a treatment option for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD) that applies heat to the eyelids which melts the oil within the glands, removes blockages, and improves gland function. Following the application of heat, the doctor utilizes a tool to gently remove or "express" oil from the meibomian glands. This system includes two flexible eyelid devices called SmartLids which are applied to your upper and lower eyelids. These devices apply heat directly to the eyelids for 15 minutes.

Patients who undergo treatment with Tear Care are encouraged to continue at home maintenance therapy for MGD as recommended by your eye doctor. These maintenance therapies often include warm compresses, eyelid hygiene, fish oil supplementation, lubricating drops, and more. Treatment with TearCare can be repeated over time depending on the patient's signs and symptoms.

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How Does This Improve MGD?

The oil within the glands of patients with MGD is often thickened, clogged, and unable to be effectively secreted into the tear film. When the meibomian glands are unable to supply oil onto the tear film, this subsequently leads to evaporation of the tear film. By removing blockages and improving outflow of the oil from the meibomian glands, TearCare improves the function of these glands. The reason it is important to ensure proper functioning of the glands is clogged, unhealthy glands can become non-functional. When this occurs, the glands may even die and can no longer be successfully treated. Our goal is to intervene well before MGD progresses to this point.