#117: How to Express your Meibomian Glands
My patients and some of my students in my Alleviate Dry Eye course often ask me about how to express their meibomian glands. You may have been told to do this by your own doctor. Or, maybe you have read about it or heard about it from a friend. A lot of folks are still confused as to how to do it.
If you've been following my blog for a while, then you know I talk about doing four simple steps to take care of our dry eyes daily. To review, the first step is hydrate, so using an artificial tear. The second step is to cleanse your lids and lashes. The third step is to heat your lashes, and right after that heating you often want to express those meibomian glands, so we're going to talk about that. The fourth step is to take a dry eye supplement. I always recommend HydroEye to my patients. If this is your first time hearing this information, check out this blog that explains it all.
Why would we want to express those meibomian glands?
The meibomian glands produce an oil that protects the front surface of the eye from drying out too quickly. That oil is important in not only keeping our eyes hydrated, but also in keeping our vision stable. When the oils are stable, they prevent your tears from drying out too quickly and preventing your vision from fluctuating every time you blink.
When the oil is clogged in our meibomian glands, it doesn't coat the tear film. The tear film can dry out quickly not only causing a fluctuation in your vision, but also exposing the nerves on your cornea. Ouch!
How do the Meibomian Glands get Clogged?
Meibomian glands can become clogged from a variety of things. It can happen from:
- Improper makeup wear
- Not removing your eye makeup daily
- Diet being too high in Omega 6
- Not blinking enough while we're using digital devices
- And many, many more...
There are several reasons that our meibomian glands could become clogged. And, it's important to note that it didn't just happen over night. It took years for them to become clogged.
3 Steps to Unclog Meibomian Glands
No. 1) Get Clean
First, start with clean lids. If you're wearing makeup, please remove your eye makeup. My favorite eye makeup remover is EYES ARE THE STORY. They come individually wrapped as cleansing towelettes. Just peel them open, and gently rub your lids and lashes. If you don't have an eye makeup remover for sensitive eyes, please download the guide here.
If you're not wearing eye makeup, you still need to cleanse your lids and lashes. I recommend using Zocular foaming cleanser. This one's simple to use. All you need to do is put a small pump onto your fingertip, rub your two index fingers together, and then scrub, scrub, scrub your lashes for about 20 seconds. Rinse the foam away with clean water.
No. 2) Warm Them Up
Heat your lids with a warm compress. You can use a variety of eyelid masks. My favorite is the UNclog Mask. It utilizes an Infrared light to generate the heat. This allows the heat to reach the inside of your eyelids since that's where the oil glands live. Leave the mask on your eyes for 10 - 15 minutes twice a day to melt the oils that are clogged inside your oil glands.
No. 3) Express Yourself
Express your meibomian glands by massaging your eyelids. You can use your clean fingers. Then, place a your index finger at the bottom of your lower lid and roll up towards your lower lashes a couple of times. Then, roll from your eyebrows at the top, down to the lashes of the upper lids.
Use a pressure that is gentle enough that you're not pushing on your eyes. But, the pressure should be firm enough to feel that you're milking those glands.
If you want to get a little bit more sophisticated, you can use an eye roller device. This one is from We Love Eyes. It's super easy to use. Go in the same directions you did with your index fingers. Give those meibomian glands a gentle squeeze. The idea is to express some of the heated oil out of the glands.
If you notice that your vision is a little blurred right after doing a warm compress or after expression, that is normal. When the oils leave the lids, it may blur your vision for a few seconds. After blinking a couple of times the excess oil is spread more evenly into your tear film, and your vision will clear.
CONCLUSION
Meibomian gland expression is an important step in keeping your eyes healthy. Getting built up oil out of the glands in the lids makes way for the gland to produce new healthy oils that coat and protect the front of the eyes.
Start with clean eyes, heat up the lids, and gently massage the lids. If you notice your vision being a little blurry afterwards, you've done it right. If you don't notice an oily feeling a blurry vision, keep going. Your oil glands may be more clogged and need more time to express.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me leaving a comment below. It is always best to schedule an appointment with your Eye Care Provider to discuss your specific health problems.
