My Experience with BlephEx and MiboFlow

BlephEx and MiboFlow felt like spa treatments for my eyes. My doctor recommended these procedures when after several months of other treatments for my aqueous deficient dry eye, he determined I may have some evaporative issues as well. (My tear breakup time was lower than normal: just 7 seconds). BlephEx aims to improve lid hygiene, and MiboFlow helps release hardened oil in the meibomian glands.

How BlephEx worked

These procedures were broken into three office visits. The technician started with BlephEx. Using a tool with a tiny, spinning sponge on the end, she cleaned my eyelids and the openings to my meibomian glands. She put some numbing drops in my eyes before beginning and also used a cleaning solution.

When cleaning my lower lids, she had me look up to avoid brushing against my cornea. For my upper lids, I looked down. The procedure tickled mostly. Though, it was slightly uncomfortable at times as I struggled to keep my eyes open during it. But it was short-lived; the entire procedure took less than 10 minutes.

How MibiFlow worked

Next, in this same visit, the technician performed MibiFlow for 8 minutes on each eye. This procedure was much more comfortable and relaxing to me than BlephEx. She started by putting ultrasound gel on my eyelids. Then, with a heated metal wand, she massaged my lids, concentrating on the inside corners of my eyes. She said that this was generally the area in which most people needed the most concentration.

The inside corners of my eyes were always the itchiest and most-irritated feeling, so this made sense to me. Once finished, she wiped the excess gel from my lids, and I scheduled an appointment for two weeks later.

How I felt after the first treatment

After the first treatment, my eyes and eyelids felt slightly raw and a little dryer for a couple of days afterward. Then, they began to feel a little better than before. I especially noticed that they were less itchy in the inside corners. This even prompted me to focus my attention, when using my heated eye mask, on those inside corners.

After a couple of days, my eyes went back to feeling dry, but they still felt less irritated in the inside corners. My doctor said that this was the general response: better for a couple of days and then back to dry.

Undergoing more

He said that people generally feel good for about two weeks following the second treatment, so I was anxious to have it done. For the second treatment, the technician only did MiboFlow but for longer, 10 minutes on each eye. I did not have the general response; disappointingly, my eyes did not feel any better after the second treatment.

I scheduled my next procedure and a followup visit with my doctor for three weeks later. At this visit, he was surprised that I was not feeling much better and determined that I may have some other issues at play.

He suggested I continue with the third treatment to optimize the health of my tear film (this last visit was complementary), and we decided on my next steps. During my third procedure, the technician performed both BlephEx and MiboFlow again. Interestingly, I felt better almost immediately after having this third treatment; not normal, but better.

How I view the procedures

My doctor said that people with evaporative dry eye usually get about six months to a year of relief after having these procedures. Though I still have other issues that I’m tackling, I do believe that these procedures were helpful in moving my eyes toward a healthier place.