2012 has been an interesting year in Dry Eye management at The Eye Practice.
Our principal, Jim Kokkinakis Optometrist over the years has developed a special interest in this area due to needing to manage many dry eye patients that were having difficulty with contact lens wear.
Last year Jim Kokkinakis was lucky enough to install the latest dry eye treatment technology called LipiFlow for a period of 3 months. This brilliant system was invented by the famous US optometrist, Dr Donald Korb.
What was interesting was that a group of severe dry eye sufferers found us on the internet. This end stage group was suffering from chronic eye pain, which was unrelenting. The common theme seemed to be incomplete blinking with minimal signs of dry eye signs.
The lesson that was clearly conveyed to Jim Kokkinakis was that treatment of dry eye needs to occur often before there are any significant symptoms. The best analogy that can be used is one of a dental model. Somehow over the years we have all be educated around dental hygiene to avoid severe teeth and gum problems in the future. What needs to occur is a meibomian gland hygiene and blinking hygiene education before symptoms become significant. At this stage LipiFlow is at its best!
If you have dry eye issues why don’t you call to make an appointment with Jim Kokkinakis on (02) 9290 1899. Even though we no longer have the LipiFlow system we can certainly assess you for suitability and then refer you accordingly.
