Patent ID: 8685073

Claim:
An apparatus for treating dry eye wherein a flow of naturally occurring secretion to an eye is occluded due to the presence of an obstruction located within a meibomian gland channel of a meibomian gland of an eyelid, the apparatus comprising: an energy source configured to apply energy to the eyelid for softening the obstruction located within the meibomian gland channel of the meibomian gland; and a force applicator for applying a regulated force to the eyelid, wherein the force applicator expresses the softened obstruction from within the meibomian gland channel of the meibomian gland through an orifice of the meibomian gland; and a back plate, wherein the back plate and the force applicator are configured such that the eyelid may be positioned between the back plate and the force applicator; and wherein the force applicator is configured to be actuated such that the eyelid is gripped between the force applicator and the back plate to apply the regulated force to the eyelid to express the softened obstruction from within the meibomian gland channel of the meibomian gland through a meibomian gland orifice of the meibomian gland.