Dr Claudine Pang

Our eyes are truly the windows to our body and soul. How they sparkle is a reflection of our health. Eyes that are overly tired, fatigued, dry and itchy lose their lustre and appear dull or even reddish-pink, the colour of soreness and inflammation.

With WFH the norm and resulting in excessive screen time, how can we keep that sparkle in them? Besides home remedies such as warm eye masks or natural tear lubricants, there are a few treatments.

Digital strain can result in dry eyes. I use Tixel Dry Eyes Treatment. It’s the latest technology and utilises Thermo- Mechanical Ablation TMA – a non-laser, non-invasive heat treatment that applies thermal energy to the skin around the eyes to enhance tear production and improve the tear film.

I can see noticeable improvements just after one session. However, most patients require two to three sessions – four for cases of severe eye dryness – with intervals of two weeks between each one. Each takes less than 10 minutes with little to no downtime.

(Related: Melati Drinks founder Lorin Winata believes the future is non-alcoholic)

Another treatment I recommend for dry eyes is MyMask Low-Level Light Therapy. It uses red LED light photobiomodulation to stimulate the meibomian glands on both the upper and lower eyelids to increase meibum production and improve tear quality to decrease the discomfort of scratchy, gritty dry eyes. This non-invasive FDA-approved light therapy is applied as a mask on the face for 20 minutes, with zero downtime and zero side effects. Two sessions a week apart can treat recurrent eyelid infections or styes.

Just like how our skin needs to be exfoliated for cell renewal, our eyelids are the same. Also FDA-approved, BlephEx Eyelid Treatment is a painless, non-invasive procedure utilising the microblepharon exfoliation technique to exfoliate and scrub the edge of the eyelids and eyelashes. This helps to remove excess bacteria and toxins, the main causes of eyelid infections such as blepharitis. The procedure takes up to 15 minutes for both eyes, and can treat all kinds of eyelid crusting, discharge and redness as well as remove makeup residue. For good lid hygiene, you should do it once a month.

(Related: How Quek Huilin reinvigorated her family’s kitchenware company)

You should not neglect your eye’s internal health as well. Get a quick picture taken of your pair with these cutting-edge technologies.

Optomap Ultra-widefield Retinal Imaging makes detecting internal problems that may have otherwise been undetected so easy with a quick, non-contact eye picture. This is the most essential screening tool for the early detection of silent eye conditions such as diabetes, hypertension and retinal tears.

Spectralis Optical Coherence Tomography enables microscopic visualisation of the macula layers and retinal blood circulation within seconds. Literally able to detect early and microscopic problems with your macula, retina, optic disc and vitreous within minutes, this is a must-have as part of an annual eye check-up. All it takes is a few minutes.

With a combination of these non- invasive treatments, treat your eyes as your most prized possessions and make them sparkle.

Dr Claudine Pang is the medical director of Asia Retina Eye Surgery Centre and founder of EyeQ & Eye Care Without Borders.

(Related: Leadership Lessons: In conversation with Shirley Crystal Chua)