At Dry Eye Wales, we understand that meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) can significantly impact your quality of life. Our specialised treatment, Activa, offers an effective solution designed to alleviate the symptoms associated with MGD. This innovative therapy is conducted in our state-of-the-art dry eye suite, providing a comfortable and soothing environment for your treatment. This is a perfect treatment for those who have tried at home treatment but due to life’s demands have not been able to be compliant, or those who want to supplement home treatments with something that packs a greater punch.
Understanding Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
Meibomian glands are essential for maintaining the health of your tear film. These glands are located in the eyelids and produce an oily substance called meibum. The primary function of meibum is to stabilise the tear film. Here’s how it works
Lubrication
Meibum forms the outer layer of the tear film, which covers the surface of the eye. This oily layer helps to spread the tears evenly across the eye’s surface, reducing friction and improving comfort.
Prevents Evaporation
The meibum’s oiliness creates a barrier that slows down the evaporation of the tear film’s watery component. Without it, tears would evaporate more quickly, leading to dry eyes.
Lipid Layer Barrier
The hydrophobic nature of the meibum creates surface tension, preventing the aqueous component from spilling over the eyelid and down the cheek, or draining away too quickly via the usual routes (puncta). It essentially “seals” the tear film against the surface of the eye. This is why a watery eye (epiphora) is often a sign of dry eyes.
Protection
The meibum helps to trap and remove debris and microorganisms from the surface of the eye, reducing the risk of infection and maintaining eye health.
When these glands become blocked or inflamed, it can lead to dryness, irritation, and discomfort. The blockage in the glands can also lead to styes and infections and eventually ‘drop-out’ (atrophy) of the unhealthy gland. Traditional treatments such as drops often mask symptoms very temporarily, sometimes for as little as 20 mins.
How the Activa Treatment Works?
Activa therapy applies gentle heat with targeted massage to stimulate the meibomian glands. The process begins with the application of controlled heat to the eyelids, which helps to soften any hardened oils within the glands. This heat opens up the glands, making it easier for them to release their natural oils.
Following the heating phase (5 mins), the mask enters a programme of gentle massage techniques (10 mins) to further encourage the secretion of oils from the glands. This dual approach not only alleviates blockages but also improves overall gland function as old, hardened and sometimes toxic oils are released, and newer, healthy oils are no longer trapped.
Treatment Process
During your appointment at Dry Eye Wales, you will be welcomed into our dry eye suite, where our friendly optical assistant will guide you through the process. The treatment itself lasts 15 mins and can be conducted as a stand-alone appointment or followed by gland de-keratinization and meibomian gland expression with one of our specialist optometrists. This additional step can further enhance your treatment by manually expressing any hardened meibum, ensuring maximum relief and comfort. Activa paired with Meibomian Gland Expression is our most popular, least invasive treatment.
Benefits of Activa Heat and Massage
Activa addresses the root cause of the issue, ensuring:
- Enhanced tear film stability which means:
- Improved comfort and vision.
- Reduced risk of watery eyes (epiphora).
- Increased contact lens comfort.
- Less frequent use of artificial tears
- Reduced risk of styes and infections
- Healthy glands that will continue to serve you for years to come.
Activa heat and massage therapy is a game-changer for many patients.
It is considered the first line treatment once at-home treatments alone have not worked and is a wallet friendly in-house treatment to accelerate your dry eye treatment success.
Is Activa Right for You?
Activa can be used both reactively or proactively. If you suffer from dry eyes or suspect you have meibomian gland dysfunction, Activa therapy may be an ideal treatment option for you. If this is the case a diagnostics appointment is required to confirm the presence and severity of your condition and to lay the foundation for a treatment plan.
Occasionally we detect significant dry eye signs, with no symptoms at all. This can be for reasons such as de-sensitized corneal nerves from other conditions or contact lens wear. If this is the case you are in a position where you can proactively treat the condition before symptoms strike!
Frequency of Treatment
Depending on the conditions of your glands and the quality of your meibum the optometrist will recommend a minimum interval of treatment with Activa, however in general, it is considered that the more frequent the treatment, the faster you will reach the desired goal of healthy, comfortable eyes. For this reason we have many flexible plans as well as a PAYG option to use the Activa device.