What are Meibomian glands?

Meibomian glands are oil glands along your lid margin on your upper and lower eyelids. There are about 20-30 lipid secreting glands along the lid margin. The function of these glands is to secrete natural oils that keeps your tears from evaporating too quickly.

Every time you blink, there is about 0.3 psi of pressure that is put on the glands that pumps out some oil as well as smooth muscle contraction to help with the secretion.

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD)

Meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) is a condition in which the glands are not secreting enough oils or when the oils are in poor quality. 86% of dry eye patients have meibomian gland dysfunction.

The meibomian glands can get clogged up, which prohibits them from releasing the oils and eventually leading to atrophy and gradual loss of the glands, thus causing severe dry eye complications.

iLUX Treatment

At Thomas Eye Center we provide treatment for meibomian gland dysfunction. The goal of MGD treatment is to gently unblock these glands, restoring healthy tear film, improving overall symptoms and vision.

The iLUX is a hand held thermal pulsation device that provides heat treatment for those suffering from chronic dry eye. The iLUX is a non-invasive procedure that delivers gentle heat and pressure directly to the eyelids to unblock the meibomian glands.

Treatment of both eyes only takes about 8-12 minutes. Once the glands are unblocked, it will be easier for the natural oils (meibum) to be released naturally.

If you are continuously using eye drops and not experiencing any relief, you might have MGD, and we are here to help relieve you of your symptoms. Please contact us for more information, and see if you are a good candidate for iLUX.