Dry Eye Management
Blephasteam Eye Spa: A Relaxing Warm-Up For Healthier Glands
A gentle, 10-minute moist-heat treatment that melts and loosens thickened oils in the meibomian glands, preparing your eyes for gland expression.
A gentle, 10-minute moist-heat treatment that melts and loosens thickened oils in the meibomian glands, preparing your eyes for gland expression.
Most dry eye traces back to the meibomian glands along your eyelid margin. When the oil inside these glands thickens or stagnates, it can't flow properly, and your tear film breaks down faster as a result. Blephasteam is a moist-heat treatment designed to soften that oil, gently warming the eyelids from the outside in rather than lubricating the surface.
During a session, you recline comfortably and rest a pair of soft, ventilated steam goggles over your closed eyes for around 10 minutes. There are no needles and no medication, just a steady, humid warmth that many patients describe as one of the more relaxing parts of their visit, like a short spa treatment for the eyes.
Unlike a warm compress or flannel, which starts cooling the moment it leaves the kettle, the Blephasteam goggles hold a constant, controlled temperature and humidity for the whole session. That steadier, more sustained warmth is what helps soften and liquefy the thickened meibum sitting inside the glands, rather than just warming the skin's surface.
We use Blephasteam as a preparatory step, warming and loosening the glands so that meibomian gland expression, which follows in the same visit, can clear them more thoroughly and comfortably. Following your Dry Eye Assessment, we will determine whether Blephasteam is an appropriate part of your treatment plan.
Blephasteam softens what's inside the glands; meibomian gland expression is what actually clears it.
The goggles create a sealed, ventilated micro-environment over the eyelids, holding both heat and humidity steady for the full 10 minutes. That combination softens thickened meibum far more effectively than dry heat or a compress that cools quickly, without ever touching the eye itself.
Blephasteam is generally used together with meibomian gland expression, and sometimes alongside IPL or LLLT, for patients with meibomian gland dysfunction. Our Dry Eye Assessment confirms whether this fits your findings before we recommend it, rather than offering it as a default add-on.
A simple, single-session fee, commonly performed together with meibomian gland expression in the same visit.
Meibomian gland expression is included and performed in the same visit. A Comprehensive Eye Examination or Dry Eye Assessment is required before starting any dry eye treatment, so we can confirm the treatment is the right choice for your condition. Additional fees may apply for non-Medicare holders.
Blephasteam is designed as a preparatory step. The moist heat softens and loosens thickened meibum, making it easier for our optometrist to clear the glands during expression that follows in the same visit, for more complete and comfortable relief.
Every treatment plan starts with understanding your eyes properly. A thorough assessment with our dry eye expert will determine whether Blephasteam is the right choice for you, rather than a default option offered to everyone, regardless of their individual needs.