Apparatus and method for using intense pulsed light to non-invasively treat conjunctival blood vessels, pigmented lesions, and other problems

An intense pulsed light (IPL) system for precisely and non-invasively treating small blood vessels, small lesions, small dermatological stains, ingrown hairs, and other ocular and periocular problems, including:

• a power source;
• controls for varying one or more parameters that determine the amount of IPL to be used;
• a handpiece, sized and configured for precise digital manipulation and operatively connected to the power source and the controls;
• a crystal operatively connected to the handpiece;
• and
• an eye shield for covering a portion of the surface of a patient's eyeball, including the entire cornea.

A method for precisely and non-invasively using intense pulsed light (IPL) to treat eye-related problems such as small blood vessels, small lesions and tumors, small dermatological stains and pigmented structures, ingrown hairs, and the like, comprising the steps of:

• determining an area of an eye or an eyelid to be treated;
• determining an amount of IPL necessary to treat the problem;
• selecting a crystal;
• determining a preferred distance between the crystal and the area to be treated;
• selecting a distance guide;
• attaching the crystal and the distance guide to a handpiece, the handpiece being sized and configured for precise manipulation by two or three digits;
• setting a plurality of parameters to control the amount of IPL to be applied;
• placing an eye shield over the eye, the shield configured to cover a portion of the eyeball, including the entire cornea, while permitting access to the area to be treated;
• holding the handpiece so that the distance guide touches the area to be treated;
• and
• applying the IPL to the area to be treated.