So I've been digging into the research to find out what science says
about the best ways to do warm compresses for dry eyes and meibomian gland disfunction
and in this video, I'm going to share with you 5 tips that will help you
do your warm compresses more effectively so that you get better results with your dry eye treatment
Let's take a look
[music playing]
Hey! Welcome back. This is Doctor Allen here from the Doctor Eye Health Show
In this channel we talk a lot about the eyes, helping people see their best
take care of their dry eyes, find better vision products so that they're seeing their best
If that interests you, hit that subscribe button for us right now
so that you don't miss our next future videos
Now doing a warm compress is probably one of the most recommended,
conservative first-line treatments as a dry eye home therapy, but
to tell you the truth, when I was in school to become an eye doctor,
Whether you're an optometrist or going to school to be an ophthalmologist
they never really go into detail about how to do a warm compress
It's simply listed in your textbooks
and in your notes from school and class
that warm compresses can be used as a treatment
for things like dry eyes, for meibomian gland dysfunction
blepharitis, chalazions,
hordeolums and different styes on the eyelids.
But part of being a doctor, and something I value,
is constantly researching and learning
so I can make better recommendations for my patients.
So I was wondering, what does the research really say about warm compresses?
What is the best way to do them?
What's the best temperature?
How long do you do it for? All of those things.
And this is what I found.
Tip number 1 is that if you are using the
warm washcloth method for your warm compresses
where you take a washcloth, you hold it under hot water
and then you put that over your eyelids,
it's probably the least effective way to do them.
Studies have shown that because the water in those washcloths will evaporate
it ends up cooling your eyelids very quickly.
And so you don't get that good, long-lasting
heat effect to the eyelids to melt the oils
that are trapped inside the meibomian glands
There are a few different studies that compare
different warm compress products that are on the market
trying to see which one's better
And if you stayed tuned, later on in this video
we'll go over, uh, kind of, which ones to look for
including some of the ones that I personally use.
Tip number 2 has to do with time and
how long you're doing those warm compresses for.
Studies show that warm compresses get the best results
when done for at least five minutes
but even better after fifteen minutes
This is based on one small study I found that showed that there was an
80% increase in tear film oil layers after doing a compress for 5 minutes.
But they did show a full 100% increase after doing it for a full 15
And it just shows that people who have worse meibomian gland disfunction and dry eyes
Usually have more rancid, thickened oils in their glands
and it will take not only more heat, but it will take longer to fully get those glands to open up and release those oils.
So in short, doing warm compresses for longer is better.
And I personally try to go for at least 15 minutes myself.
Tip number 3 is that doing warm compresses on a daily basis is better
One study found that after 12 weeks of consistent warm compressing,
they noticed a decreased level of phospholipase on the tear film.
Phospholipase is an enzyme that breaks up your tear film,
destabilizes it, and increases its evaporation rate
So in short, being consistent, and doing warm compresses every day,
should have a long-lasting improved effect over time.
One extra pro tip I'll throw in here is something I do to remind me to keep doing my compresses
Is that I actually leave my warm compresses in a box on the floor next to my bed
because then I'll kick it if I'm going to bed, and I'll see that, Oh yea,
I need to do my compress. It's right there.
Of course I imagine there's many other ways to try and remember and build a habit out of it.
If you have any tips to share with other people in the community on ways to remember to do your warm compresses,
drop those in the comment section below. Hopefully that'll help everyone out.
Tip number 4 is about the temperature of your warm compress
Most studies now say that around 40 degrees celsius, or about a 104 degrees Farenheit
is the ideal temperature to be doing a warm compress to melt those thickened oils
if you're doing it for that 15 minute time frame.
But with caution not to go to hot, as 45 degrees celsius or much higher
puts a higher risk of burning the thin eyelid skin
Or causing heated temperature changes to the cornea of the eye, leading to corneal deformity.
And I tried to find some studies showing some negative, permanent consequences
of doing warm compresses to the eye, and I couldn't find any, but there still remains this
uh, overall consensus that there is concern that adding too much heat and pressure to the eye
could deform the cornea, leading to permanent vision changes.
And that's why our tip number 5 is that if you are doing an eyelid massage, after doing a warm compress
is that you please do it very gently. Be very careful with the eyes
I think if your doctor recommends for you to do one of these eyelid massages
that you follow their proper instruction. If you want to know how I've always done it, I do a
video that goes over how I do it for warm compresses, styes, chelazions,
and for meiboian gland disfunction. So I'll put a link to that in the video description,
as well as in the Youtube cart above.
But again, it's a good idea not to push too hard on the eye because pushing on the eyes could
potentially increase the eye pressure, as well as cause deformity to the corneal surface itself.
One study even suggested that if eye doctors are recommending warm compresses
that their patients should come back periodically to have topography corneal scans
just to monitor if there's any long-term consequences.
But again, I could not find any studies at this time, that show that warm compresses
resulted in some sort of negative problem to the eye.
But I still think it's a good idea to be as safe as you can.
Now again there are many different ways to do a warm compress,
and there's many of different warm compress products and masks out on the market
and there are some studies that have compared the effectiveness of these different products
all the way from doing just the wash cloth method to the microwavable, bead/bean type masks
all the way to these LED, infrared light therapies,
even to electronic ones that you plug into your computer.
And at least it is consistent that the warm washcloth method is probably the least effective
with compresses that hold more heat for longer usually end up with better results.
with ultimately a warm compresses that also provides moist heat as being superior
versus compresses that have dry heat.
Now, I personally use two different types of warm compresses
both of which I talked about in a previous video about my personal dry eye routine that I do everyday
and I first use what's called a TearRestore in the morning which is a dry heat warm compress
but it does have a convenience factor there, where I get to keep my eyes open,
and I can stay productive in the busy mornings.
But in the rest of the day, and especially in the evenings, I often use what's called a
Tranquil Eyes XL, there's also a Tranquil Eyes Cloud and another one called Tranquil Eyes Vibes
And I used all of these, and I think they're a bit superior,
especially for someone who wants to do a warm compress with moist heat
and providing more temperature for longer
For studies with the Tranquil Eyes do show that is holds that consistent temperature
of 40 degrees celsius, for up to 15 to even 20 minutes.
And I'm not being paid to say these things or anything like that. These really are just the two products
that I use on a daily basis, and I find they work for me the most effective.
In addition to both these products, even for the Tranquil Eyes warm compress,
which is more heavy-duty, I don't feel like they push onto my eyes very much
So I don't really get that, negative, corneal deformity, fluctuating vision experience.
If you do want to learn more about these exact products, or my personal dry eye routine,
I'll put links to both these products, as well as that video,
in the description below so you can check that out.
Hopefully you found this video educational and helpful. If so, smash that like button for me
because it is going to help me out. Otherwise, I personally did get a lot out of just
digging into the research so I can learn a little bit more, be a better doctor, all those cool things.
Otherwise again, thank you so much for watching. Keep an eye on it, and we'll talk to you soon.