Testimonials

Patient Testimonials*

 

Ricky H. 53, Evaporative Dry Eye sufferer since 1985

LipiFlow patient, 2008

 

How did suffering from Evaporative Dry Eye impact your life?

By the end of the day wearing contact lenses, my eyes were uncomfortable. Pretty much every evening I used some kind of eye drop to try to ease the burning and the discomfort. I think that I was probably in the middle range; I wasn’t miserable, but I was living with this discomfort for many years. Then one of my eyes started watering pretty regularly. That was the one symptom that was most disruptive.

 

What other kinds of treatments had you tried?

The drops were just meant to help alleviate the discomfort, not really treat the dry eye. My doctor suggested it would be smart to use warm compresses and then do a scrub on the inner parts of the eyelids, to help keep the discomfort down a little bit. He also suggested some blinking exercises, which I did for a while and then stopped doing.

 

How did you get diagnosed?

I go annually to the eye doctor and at some point way back when he probably said, “How are your eyes feeling?” and I said, “They’re tired.” He told me I had dry eye, like so many people. That was the reason my eyes were tired and hurt at the end of the day.

 

How have your eyes been since the LipiFlow treatment?

My eyes have definitely improved. I can leave my contact lenses in longer, and it’s more comfortable. I’m not as desperate to get them out at the end of the day. I still use the warm compresses; I have done that religiously since the day my doctor told me to do it. A year after the treatment, I realized that I hadn’t needed to put eye drops in at the end of the day and my eye hasn’t been dripping. And it sort of hit me that I actually had improved. I was very struck by this – I hadn’t been focusing on my eyes and had gone back to my life.

 

 

Carolyn N. 62, Evaporative Dry Eye sufferer since 2005

LipiFlow patient, 2008

 

How did suffering from Evaporative Dry Eye impact your life?

It was horribly uncomfortable – a feeling like my eyes were scratched. I had some light sensitivity; I couldn’t wear my contacts much. It was uncomfortable when I was outside, especially if it was windy. Sometimes I couldn’t drive, I couldn’t read. I was continually putting drops in. I just had so many problems with my eyes, it was brutal. I have a high tolerance to pain, but it was a constant nuisance at best. I was just miserable.

 

What other kinds of treatments had you tried?

I had punctal plugs, which helped some. I used warm compresses, I used just about every kind of drop.

 

What was the LipiFlow treatment like? Was there any pain or discomfort?

No. I just sat back in a chair and they put these things on my eyes and I sat there and talked to the nurse for a little while and that was it. I could certainly feel the heat but it was nothing painful.

 

After the LipiFlow treatment, when did you start feeling relief?

I would say within a few days; it was a gradual thing. But it didn’t take more then a few days until I could tell a big difference.

 

What has been the difference since the LipiFlow treatment?

Massive. It has made a huge difference. I use drops once in a blue moon. I can wear my contacts. I usually don’t wear them everyday, but I certainly can wear them and have them in all day long; that was something that I wasn’t able to do. I’m able to walk outside on a windy day, sit in front of the computer, do my sewing. It’s very exciting. This has made a huge, huge difference.

 

How did the treatment compare to your expectations?

It’s been better then I expected. This has been almost the best.

 

 

Elaine H. 57, Evaporative Dry Eye sufferer since 2002

LipiFlow patient, 2008

 

How did suffering from Evaporative Dry Eye impact your life?

I had trouble keeping my eyes open because of the burning and the pain. I wore goggles most of the time; they kept air from coming into my eyes. I used Braille talking books since I couldn’t read in the evening. I had trouble driving. I tried to keep doing what I could but I was just miserable. It was debilitating.

 

What other kinds of treatments had you tried?

At the end of day I would close my eyes and put hot compresses on. I tried pretty much everything. One eye doctor said I had dry eye and just try some over-the-counter stuff.Then I got a prescription for Doxycycline; I took that for about six months. Then I had punctal plugs.

 

What were your expectations of the LipiFlow treatment?

They weren’t that high because nothing helped me before. But I was willing to try it because I was pretty desperate. I had already done the old-fashioned method where the doctor just pushes really hard on your eyelids to open up the oil glands. It’s quite painful.

 

What was the LipiFlow procedure like?

There was some discomfort; there wasn’t any pain. Compared to the other treatment it was like going from 15th-century medical treatment to 20^th century.

 

How soon after the treatment did you start feeling the effects?

Right away. Within a day I would cry. I hadn’t been able to actually cry for years. I was able to stop wearing the goggles unless it was windy. It was like day and night. Before this little gizmo, the only time I had relief from pain was when my eyes were shut and the compresses were on them. I’ve had a new job for the last six months and it requires more time on a computer. I couldn’t have done that before.