Medically reviewed by Dr. Bijan Cohenmehr, OD Last reviewed
IPL Dry Eye Treatment (Intense Pulsed Light) in Los Angeles
A cornerstone of our dry eye program.
For most of our dry eye patients, the main issue isn’t that they don’t make enough tears — it’s that their meibomian glands are clogged, inflamed, or starting to shut down. IPL gently heats and clears the meibomian glands, improving oil flow and reducing inflammation around the eyelids.
- Led by
- Dr. Bijan Cohenmehr
- Guided by
- High-resolution meibography
- Experience
- 8+ years, thousands of patients
- Downtime
- Minimal, no needles
Over a series of sessions, patients often notice
- More stable, comfortable tears
- Less burning, stinging, and light sensitivity
- Reduced redness around the eyes and cheeks
- Fewer styes and eyelid flare-ups
- Reduced dependency on artificial tears
Before we treat
We image your meibomian glands using advanced meibography, so we are not guessing which treatment you need — we’re looking directly at the glands.
The protocol
Imaging first, then IPL, then expression.
- 01
High-resolution meibomian gland imaging
Meibography shows gland structure, dropout, and atrophy, measures how much gland loss has already occurred, and tracks your glands over time as treatment progresses.
- 02
IPL to treat MGD and ocular rosacea at the source
Pulses of light heat and liquefy thick, stagnant oils inside the meibomian glands, close abnormal, leaky blood vessels that feed inflammation, and reduce inflammatory mediators to help break the cycle driving your dry eye.
- 03
Gland expression and lid care
Right after IPL, we often manually express the meibomian glands while the oils are warm and fluid. Depending on your case, we may add thermal gland treatments, professional eyelid exfoliation (ABMax®), or targeted therapy for Demodex blepharitis.
Treatments are typically quick, done right in our eye clinic in Los Angeles, with no needles and minimal downtime.
Beyond dry eye
Chronic styes and Demodex respond too.
Styes and chalazia form in blocked, inflamed meibomian glands, the same glands IPL treats. By closing the leaky vessels that feed lid-margin inflammation and restoring oil flow, an IPL series lowers how often new styes form. If you get a bump every few months, the glands are the problem to treat, not just the bump.
IPL also helps destroy Demodex, the microscopic eyelash mites behind a stubborn, itchy form of blepharitis with cylindrical dandruff at the lash base. Reducing the mite load calms the lid margin, and pairing IPL with professional eyelid exfoliation (ABMax®) clears the debris and biofilm they leave behind.
- Chronic styes and chalazia: fewer recurrences by treating the gland disease underneath
- Ocular rosacea: abnormal lid-margin vessels closed at the source
- Demodex blepharitis: mite load reduced, with lid exfoliation as the follow-through
Your IPL evaluation
At your IPL dry eye evaluation, we will:
- Perform a complete dry eye exam
- Capture high-resolution meibomian gland imaging
- Review your gland health and degree of gland loss
- Design a personalized IPL-based treatment plan just for you
Articles
By Dr. Brandon Cohenmehr, OD
IPL near you
12222 Wilshire Blvd, on the Santa Monica border.
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Next step
Stop guessing. Look at the glands.
Book an IPL dry eye evaluation and we’ll image your meibomian glands, review your gland health, and design a plan around what we actually see.