Summit Eye Center Blog
Dry Eyes? Fine Lines & Wrinkles? ThermiEyes® Can Help Both!
ThermiEyes® is an innovative, non-surgical treatment that can improve your dry eye and reduce fine lines and wrinkles around your eyes. This quick and painless procedure uses radio frequency technology that has been around for years.
Radio frequency is a form of energy that, when applied to the skin, produces heat. An advantage of radio frequency treatments over other energy forms is its ability to safely heat deeper layers of the skin.
By heating deeper layers of the skin, ThermiEyes® is able to improve skin tone and structure, even lifting tissue. These improvements are a result of the stimulation and remodeling of collagen tissue.
An additional benefit that has been observed by patients is that their dry eyes felt better after radio frequency treatment around their eyes for the treatment of fine lines and wrinkles.
Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is the most common cause of dry eye. The meibomian glands that line the upper and lower lids are responsible for producing the oily component of our tear film. Overtime, these oil glands become blocked with a thickened, waxy material instead of the normal oil. An easy analogy to consider is that our lids normally secrete and oil similar to the consistency of olive oil, but in MGD the secretion is more similar to if olive oil is placed in the refrigerator.
The heating of the lids that is produced with a ThermiEyes® treatment has the ability to melt the waxy blockages that obstruct the meibomian glands. These glands are then expressed in the office. This allows the normal function of the meibomian glands to be restored, resulting in an improvement in dry eye symptoms.
The ThermiEyes® treatment takes 10-15 minutes per eye. It involves the placement of a cool gel on the skin and the use of a handheld device that is moved along the treatment area. Patients can return to their normal activities including wearing contact lenses and makeup after the treatment. Side effects are minimal and short-lived, such as mild and temporary redness and swelling.
Treatment typically involves 3 treatments over a 2-3 month period. Then, maintenance treatments are done every 6-12 months depending on the patient.
Dry eye is not a one-size-fits-all condition. If you suffer from dry eye, we recommend that you schedule an evaluation with one of the doctors at Summit Eye Center. During this examination, the doctor will do a thorough assessment of your condition. Then, a treatment plan will be discussed to address your unique situation.
Call 816-246-2111 or email
The doctors at Summit Eye Center are available for other conditions as well such as, cataracts, glaucoma and LASIK.
