Dry eyes
Dry eye: light therapy with OptiLight™ (IPL)
Treat the cause, not only the symptom. Burning, a foreign-body sensation, fluctuating vision, eyes that never really settle despite drops: dry eye is one of the most common diseases of the ocular surface and impairs quality of life, ability to work and vision. In around 86 percent of cases the cause lies in a dysfunction of the meibomian glands at the eyelid margin.
What is OptiLight™?
The meibomian glands at the eyelid margin produce the lipid layer of the tear film. If it is missing, the tear fluid evaporates too quickly, the ocular surface dries out, and an inflammation develops that damages the glands further. A cycle that eye drops alone do not break. Which other treatment building blocks there are — from tear substitutes to eyelid margin care — and when which of them makes sense, is set out on the page about treating dry eyes.
OptiLight™ is a light-based, non-invasive treatment for dry eye. It was developed by Lumenis. In Switzerland and the EU, OptiLight™ is CE-certified for evaporative dry eye; in the USA the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the device in 2021 for the treatment of dry eye caused by meibomian gland dysfunction.
During treatment, precisely dosed pulses of light are delivered to the skin below the eyes. The patented Optimal Pulse Technology (OPT™) ensures that the energy is distributed evenly and in a controlled way, without peaks. The eyes themselves are fully covered by protective shields throughout the treatment.
A multifactorial treatment for a multifactorial disease
Dry eye rarely has only one cause. OptiLight™ therefore acts at several points at once. All five mechanisms of action are documented in peer-reviewed clinical studies:
- Reducing inflammation: The concentration of pro-inflammatory messengers in the tear film (IL-17, IL-6) falls measurably.
- Removing abnormal blood vessels: Dilated vessels at the eyelid margin that keep re-fuelling the inflammation are closed off.
- Restoring the meibomian glands: Structure and function of the glands improve; the secretion becomes more fluid again and is released more easily.
- Reducing Demodex mites: The mite colonisation of the eyelashes, a frequent driver of inflammation, recedes.
- Stabilising the tear film: The tear-film break-up time, the most important measure of tear-film stability, roughly doubles in studies.
What the treatment does
- Acts on the cause: The treatment targets the inflammation, not only the symptom.
- Non-invasive and drug-free: No injection, no surgery, no drug.
- Quick: A session takes around 15 minutes — shorter than a lunch break.
- No downtime: You go straight back to work, to the wheel or to dinner. Make-up can be worn again immediately.
- Scientifically documented: FDA approval on the basis of a randomised, double-blind multicentre study.
- Fewer drops: Many patients report reaching for tear substitutes less often. A study to back this is still lacking.
- Over months: In observational studies the effect achieved lasts six to twelve months; after that, maintenance sessions are part of the concept.
What OptiLight™ triggers in the tissue
The effect of OptiLight™ goes beyond treating vessels and inflammation. The controlled heat stimulus triggers a repair response in the skin: connective-tissue cells are activated, new collagen is formed, and the tissue remodels. A study at Stanford University showed that broadband light shifts the activity pattern of more than 1200 age-altered genes back towards that of youthful skin — without the patterns of wound healing or scarring. At the microscopic level, tissue ageing is thus set back a little. What is visible is not a tightening but calmer, more even skin around the eyes.
The same repair response acts on the meibomian glands. Glands that are congested and restricted in their function can recover: in studies using confocal microscopy their structure normalised after IPL, while the inflammation around them receded. What has already atrophied or scarred, no treatment brings back. That is exactly why it matters to treat the glands while they can still be saved — and to keep them working through regular treatment.
What happens during treatment
Before the first treatment we examine your meibomian glands and tear film and establish whether OptiLight™ is suitable for you. During the treatment itself you receive protective shields on both eyes, and a cooling gel is applied to the skin below the eyes. The pulses of light are guided from cheek to cheek across the nose. Most patients feel a slight sensation of warmth but no pain. Afterwards the meibomian glands are gently expressed so that the loosened secretion can drain.
Treatment begins with a series of three sessions three to four weeks apart; depending on the response, further sessions follow. Most patients report an improvement after the second or third session. Immediately after the treatment the skin may be slightly reddened; that usually disappears within a few hours.
What you can realistically expect
Dry eye caused by meibomian gland dysfunction is a chronic condition. No treatment cures it permanently — no more than a single tablet ends a chronic condition for good. Tear substitutes relieve the symptoms, but there is no evidence that they halt the age-related decline of the meibomian glands. OptiLight™ starts elsewhere: every session triggers repair processes in the tissue, and this effect builds from session to session.
How many sessions it takes depends on the findings. We plan three sessions first and then assess the response. Depending on the course, further sessions are planned step by step until the desired result is reached. The figures from studies are encouraging: with mild to moderate disease, 70 to 90 percent of those treated respond to three to four sessions. With long-standing, stubborn dysfunction and gland loss that has already set in, around two thirds achieve a marked improvement of their symptoms with six to eight sessions — IPL is one of the few procedures that still work at this stage. Important for patience: the measurable improvements at the glands come before the noticeable relief. The secretion becomes more fluid and the glands empty more easily before the eyes notice it. Anyone who still feels little after two or three sessions has therefore often already achieved an effect that we can see at the eyelid margin. As the symptoms improve, the frequency of the drops can then be reduced as well.
In observational studies the effect achieved lasts six to twelve months; after that, without treatment, the condition slowly returns towards its starting point. That is why maintenance sessions are part of the concept — the literature recommends an interval of about six months, between six and twelve depending on the course. They keep the glands working, instead of having to build the state up again each time. For the skin around the eyes it also holds that regular light treatment over years demonstrably slows visible ageing.
How much your symptoms improve depends on severity and cause. The treatment does not replace the basic therapy, it complements it. We tell you frankly what to expect in your case — and what not.
Who OptiLight™ is suitable for
OptiLight™ is suitable for adults from 22 years of age with dry eye caused by meibomian gland dysfunction, particularly with concurrent rosacea, blepharitis or Demodex infestation. The treatment is not suitable with purely aqueous tear deficiency, after eye or eyelid surgery within the last six months, with active eye infections, with photosensitising medicines, or with very dark skin. Whether OptiLight™ is an option for you, we settle in the preliminary examination.
Why at Sehklinik
The light treatment takes place right at the eye. At Sehklinik it is therefore embedded in a comprehensive treatment concept: before the first session we assess eyelid, ocular surface and tear film as a whole — with meibography, tear-film analysis and slit-lamp examination — and set the indication individually. Every treatment is carried out under ophthalmological direction and responsibility, with the surgical experience in the background that shows what the eyelid tissue tolerates. With us, OptiLight™ is not a stand-alone offer but part of a concept that we match to your findings and adjust as things progress.
That also applies before lid operations: a stable tear film is a precondition for comfort and a good result after the operation. With meibomian gland dysfunction we therefore treat the dry eye before we operate. Whether OptiLight™ makes sense for you is shown by the preliminary examination — Request an appointment for the preliminary examination online.
Costs & health insurance
What does the insurer pay for — and what not?
The preliminary examination is medical treatment: with a medical indication it runs through basic health insurance, and deductible and co-payment apply as with any doctor's visit. For the light treatment itself we settle the cost and who pays in writing beforehand.
| Service | Coverage | What this means for you |
|---|---|---|
Preliminary examination: meibography, tear-film analysis, slit lamp | Basic insurance (OKP) | The ophthalmological assessment that shows whether OptiLight™ makes sense in your case — with a medical indication, a service covered by basic health insurance. |
OptiLight™ (IPL) light therapy for meibomian gland dysfunction | To be settled before the appointment | A treatment consists of several sessions. The cost and who pays are settled in writing beforehand, before you decide. |
Maintenance sessions | To be settled before the appointment | In observational studies the effect achieved lasts six to twelve months. Maintenance sessions are therefore part of the concept; their interval follows the course. |
We tell you before an appointment is booked what runs through basic health insurance and what you pay yourself — in writing, before you decide.
Related topics
Related conditions
Medically reviewed by PD Dr. med. Andrea von Rückmann
Frequently asked questions
- Most patients feel a slight sensation of warmth but no pain. During treatment you receive protective shields on both eyes, and a cooling gel is applied to the skin below the eyes; the pulses of light are guided from cheek to cheek across the nose. Afterwards the meibomian glands are gently expressed so that the loosened secretion can drain. Immediately after the treatment the skin may be slightly reddened; that usually disappears within a few hours.
- Treatment begins with a series of three sessions three to four weeks apart; depending on the response, further sessions follow. We plan three sessions first and then assess the response; depending on the course, further sessions are planned step by step until the desired result is reached. Most patients report an improvement after the second or third session. Important for patience: the measurable improvements at the glands come before the noticeable relief — anyone who still feels little after two or three sessions has therefore often already achieved an effect that we can see at the eyelid margin.
- In observational studies the effect achieved lasts six to twelve months; after that, without treatment, the condition slowly returns towards its starting point. That is why maintenance sessions are part of the concept — the literature recommends an interval of about six months, between six and twelve depending on the course. They keep the glands working, instead of having to build the state up again each time.
- The treatment is not suitable with purely aqueous tear deficiency, after eye or eyelid surgery within the last six months, with active eye infections, with photosensitising medicines, or with very dark skin. OptiLight™ is suitable for adults from 22 years of age with dry eye caused by meibomian gland dysfunction, particularly with concurrent rosacea, blepharitis or Demodex infestation. Whether OptiLight™ is an option for you, we settle in the preliminary examination.
- No. The treatment does not replace the basic therapy, it complements it. Dry eye caused by meibomian gland dysfunction is a chronic condition; no treatment cures it permanently — no more than a single tablet ends a chronic condition for good. Tear substitutes relieve the symptoms, but there is no evidence that they halt the age-related decline of the meibomian glands. OptiLight™ starts elsewhere: every session triggers repair processes in the tissue, and this effect builds from session to session. As the symptoms improve, the frequency of the drops can then be reduced as well.
- The preliminary examination — meibography, tear-film analysis and slit-lamp examination — is medical treatment: with a medical indication it runs through basic health insurance, and deductible and co-payment apply as with any doctor's visit. For the light treatment itself we settle the cost and who pays in writing before an appointment is booked, before you decide; the same applies to maintenance sessions.
First the findings, then the light.
Before the first treatment we examine your meibomian glands and tear film and establish whether OptiLight™ is suitable for you. We tell you frankly what to expect in your case — and what not.
Or call us: +41 44 500 69 00 — Mon–Fri 08:00–12:00 / 13:00–17:30.