Warm Compresses For Dry Eye

Not a Substitute for In-Office Care

At home warm compresses are not a replacement for in office heating and expression of the meibomian glands. Warm compresses are a great additional tool in between treatments in the office. There are three main reasons why at home warm compresses are not as effective.  

1. Compliance: Patients don’t always follow the protocols set by our eye doctor with regards to warm compresses. Ideally a patient should be using their compress twice a day.
2. Temperature: Warm compresses do not retain their heat like in office treatments. The lower heat means the clogged meibomian glands are not unclogged as successfully.
3. Manual Expression: During an in office treatment the meibomian glands are heated at a consistent temperature, following which our eye care professional will manually express out the clogged glands. During an at-home treatment such as warm compresses the patient’s glands are not expressed, although some meibum may express on its own.

In Office Heating & Expression of Meibomian Glands

Some of these in-office treatment options include Systane iLux, Tearcare, Lipiflow, Ocusoft One Touch and Mibo Thermoflo, each of which utilises specially designed devices to precisely apply heat directly to the affected areas. These treatments are typically quick, and provide long-lasting relief.

At our office Fargo we provide treatments using the Ocusoft One Touch. This is a non-invasive, pain free treatment that is administered by a technician and our optometrist. The patient wears the One Touch for 10-20 minutes, following which our optometrist will manually express the meibomian glands, freeing them up from clogged oil. Treatment will take place over 2-4 sessions as determined by our eye doctor, following which the patient will be sent home with a warm compress, eyelid wipes, omega 3 vitamins, and eye drops that are lipid based.

Recommendations for at-Home Use of Compresses

While warm compresses can be effective for treating your dry eye at home, there is more to it than simply soaking a washcloth in warm water. Using a compress like that for a few minutes is generally not so effective since it cannot sustain the warm enough temperature for long, while another common household item, rice bags, emit a dry heat when warmed that is less helpful for clogged meibomian glands. People who try these types of compresses are often disappointed with the results, and from that deem the entire concept ineffective.

Compress packs specifically designed for at-home use for dry eye, such as the Bruder warm compress, tends to be more effective while still being simple to prepare and apply. However as noted above, even specially designed warm compresses do not sustain the optimal heat like in office treatments.