TearCare® is an in-office treatment designed to safely and effectively treat Evaporative Dry Eye Disease caused by Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD). MGD occurs when the oil glands in your eyelids become blocked with solidified/hardened oils, causing your natural tears to evaporate too quickly. 

What it involves:

1. Targeted Heat Therapy: Small, flexible, single-use therapeutic heating devices called SmartLids™ are placed on the outside of your upper and lower eyelids. They deliver a gentle, regulated warmth (around 113°F/45°C) for about 15 minutes. This therapeutic heat melts and liquefies the hardened oil blockages inside your meibomian glands.
2. Manual Gland Expression: Once the blockages are softened, your eye care provider will apply numbing drops to your eyes and use a specialized instrument to gently express (squeeze) the glands. This safely clears out the stale, liquefied oil, allowing your glands to resume producing the natural, healthy oils your eyes need

Contraindications:

1. Active eye infection/inflammation
2. History of Herpes Simplex or Herpes Zoster (shingles) affecting eye or eyelid
3. Recent eye or eyelid surgery or severe eye injury past 90 days.
4. Allergies to following:
1. Acrylate
2. Silicone adhesives/tape
3. Copper

Before the procedure:

No eye make up or contact lens wear on the day of the procedure!

Right after the procedure:

You can drive, wear contact lens (after 60 min), and apply  drops (after 15 min)

No downtime

Temporary redness and mild swelling on eyelids

Temporary worse dry eye symptoms – generally lasts for 2-3 days as your old inflammatory oils have been exhausted out of the glands

TearCare Objectives:

Stable lasting eye comfort by the end of the first week

Less visible redness on eyelid margins