Chennai: “In India, the rate of prevalence of dry eye syndrome is estimated to be 5 to 15 per of the population,” said Dr Agarwal’s Group of Eye Hospitals chairman Prof Amar Agarwal.
Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospital, Porur has introduced a comprehensive suite of cutting-edge technology for the diagnosis and treatment of dry eye syndrome. State Minister for Fisheries, Personnel and Administrative Reforms D Jayakumar inaugurated the facility recently.
Speaking on the occasion, Prof Amar Agarwal said, “Some of the major factors that have made dry eye a common and often chronic problem are the conditions of modern lifestyles where people stare at computer or mobile phone screens for long periods of time without blinking regularly.”
People with dry eyes may experience irritation, scratchy or burning eyes; excess watering; and blurred vision. When left untreated, dry eye can cause light sensitivity, blurred vision, and can also permanently harm vision, he said.
Talking about the application of the dry eye machine, Dr Agarwal’s Eye Hospitals, Porur, zonal head (Clinical Services), Dr Kaladevi Sathish saidĀ the two main types of dry eye diseases are evaporative and aqueous. Evaporative is the most common form and is typically associated with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD). And the most effective treatment that can provide long-term relief for MGD is Intense Regulated Pulsed Light (IRPL).
The goal of this treatment is to stimulate the secretion and the contraction of the meibomian glands; and to melt and express any thickened oil clogging the openings of meibomian glands, a press release said.
The dry eye suite is meant both for diagnosis as well as for the IRPL treatment. On the diagnosis front, the suite will be used to evaluate the quantity and quality of tears and tear flow; to identify the changes in the outer surface of the eye due to insufficient tears, and to understand the structure of the eyelids, cornea, and blinking dynamics of the patients.
Since it is non-invasive, IRPL using dry eye suite does not result in any side effects, the release added.