Boston Ocular Surface Center (BOSC) Introduces New, Breakthrough Treatment For Dry Eye Disease

BOSTON and WINCHESTER, Mass., May 2, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- THE BOSTON OCULAR SURFACE CENTER, A DIVISION OF CHARLES RIVER EYE ASSOCIATES, today announced that it is the first in the local community to introduce a new treatment for patients who suffer from Dry Eye disease.  The Boston Ocular Surface Center has introduced a new, advanced, in-office treatment, called LipiFlow^®, that uses a combination of heat and pulsed therapy in order to treat dry eye due to blocked meibomian glands.  This dry eye condition is called meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).  The LipiFlow treatment works by unblocking these glands and allowing them to resume functioning to restore a healthy tear film. 

Dry eye disease affects more than 100 million people worldwide.  Of those, the majority suffer from meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).  These patients suffer from common symptoms of dry eye which include dryness, grittiness, soreness, irritation, burning and eye fatigue.  These dry eye symptoms can be so debilitating as to interfere with people's daily activities and the ability to read, use the computer, wear contact lenses, drive and be outdoors on windy days.  Many dry eye patients complain symptoms become progressively worse throughout the day and dry eye disease is one of the most common topics patients discuss with their eye care professional.

Historically, common therapies aimed at dry eye symptom relief included using warm compresses, lid scrubs, lid expressions, over- the-counter wetting drops and ointments, and prescription drugs.  Alternatively, the new LipiFlow treatment addresses the root cause of the majority of dry eye by unblocking the meibomian glands therefore allowing their secretions to maintain a healthy tear film.  In controlled clinical studies of patients who received a single LipiFlow treatment, the improvement in meibomian gland function at 4 weeks increased by two to three times over the baseline dry eye condition, and 79% of patients reported improvement in dry eye symptoms.

Dr. Greiner and colleagues were among the first to perform the clinical studies that led to FDA clearance of the LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation System in July 2011.  Dr. Greiner's published studies and presentations at national and international professional meetings were the first to document the long-duration of efficacy of the LipiFlow treatment.  The LipiFlow treatment avoids the previous treatment for dry eye, which can be painful, time consuming and costly. Not to mention the inconvenience of having residual pain following procedures such as lid expression treatment.  Unlike previous treatment of warm compresses and lid expressions, LipiFlow is comfortable.

The LipiFlow treatment provides the dry eye patient with a painless, long-lasting alternative treatment that is scientifically documented to provide long-term improvement in dry eye symptoms causes by MGD, the major cause of dry eye disease.  Boston Ocular Surface Center utilizes the LipiFlow technology which has been shown to surpass all current dry eye treatments.

The Boston Ocular Surface Center and Charles River Eye Associates, with offices located in Boston and Winchester, Massachusetts, provide an array of eye care services including laser vision correction, refractive and cataract surgery and dry eye disease treatments. Dr. Greiner is a cornea and external eye disease sub-specialist and member of the faculty in the Department of Ophthalmology at both Harvard Medical School and Tufts University School of Medicine.

LipiFlow treatments are performed at the Boston Ocular Surface Center at 955 Main Street, Suite 307, Winchester, Massachusetts, 781 729-3008.  For more information, visit www.charlesrivereye.com.

Media Contact:                                                           
Paula Oliver
Boston Ocular Surface Center
Charles River Eye Associates
[email protected] 
781-729-3008

SOURCE Charles River Eye Associates