The greatest advocates of Meibomian Gland Probing are the patients themselves.
AFTER TREATMENT WITH MGP, MANY PATIENTS HAVE SHAREd their dry eye story so others can learn from their experience
“Basically, I got my life back! I feel normal!!! My hope is restored.” - AJ
Glenn Howerton
Actor, Writer, and Producer
This is a call to action for all eye doctors who treat dry eye disease (DED). For decades I’ve struggled with persistent DED causing my eyes to be chronically red and irritated. Not a good thing for anyone, but particularly problematic when your job is to be on camera. My DED has been due mostly to something called Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), a condition in which the oil-producing glands in the eyelids become blocked or damaged, causing an unstable tear film and often leading to evaporative dry eyes. I tried all of the conventional treatments: drops, IPL, RF, LipiFlow, Tixel. Nothing worked. In fact, they all made the problem worse because none of them addressed the fact that the glands themselves were blocked.
This brings me to the purpose of this post. Three months ago I was treated by DR. STEVEN MASKIN in Tampa Florida for my DED and MGD. Dr. Maskin is on the forefront of solving this persistent and often mis-treated problem often performing a procedure he developed called “meibomian gland probing”. Sounds gnarly, but it was extremely effective in treating the chronic issues that had been improperly addressed by many other eye doctors I’ve seen over the years. I still struggle with this issue, but have finally seen significant improvement for the first time thanks to Dr. Maskin’s treatments and protocols.
But Dr. Maskin can’t treat everyone, which brings me to my call to action: I urge eye doctors who treat DED and MGD to please consider Dr. Maskin’s protocols by going to MGDi.com (MGD Innovations). His protocols have helped countless patients including myself, manage this frustrating and often debilitating condition.
I couldn’t do anything, I kept my eyes closed all the time. I couldn’t read. I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t watch television. I couldn’t interact with my family at all. I couldn’t look at my nieces and nephews when they came to my house. You couldn’t touch my eyelids before… I jumped when I touched them.
After meibomian gland probing by Dr. Maskin:
The immediate results were absolutely miraculous… The next day it was like a miracle. I was finally functioning like a normal human being. I had my eyes open the entire day. I used to talk to people on the phone with my eyes closed… I don’t need to do that anymore. I can’t describe the feeling of being blind and in pain to being normal.
AJ, a 77 year old female from Sun City Center, FL
Snippets from AJ’s full testimonial.
Symptoms
"Constant need to use eye drops, up to every hour and more often at times; I was being consumed with trying to get my eyes wet. Before I saw Dr Maskin, I was starting to have pain in my eyes."
Treatment
"He performed the MG probing quickly and counted each probed gland, and I could sense a tiny 'pop' each time. My eye was immediately 'wet' afterwards - I drove home with such a wonderful feeling. … My eyes have been wet since."
Results
"Basically, I GOT MY LIFE BACK!! I feel normal!!!! My hope is restored. No hats, no goggles, no drops. I can read comfortably, drive comfortably, no longer have to avoid fans, no problems with air in stores or restaurants.”
Kay M., an 80 year old female from Wildwood, FL
Snippets from Kay’s full testimonial.
Symptoms
"I saw 3 ophthalmologists seeking relief because I was in absolute misery 24/7, with eyelids that were scratchy, red, and tender. I had a foreign object sensation in my eyes all the time. Life as I once knew it was gone, and I wondered how I could possibly live the rest of my life in this miserable state."
Treatment
"After extensive diagnostic testing, which included a Meibography and Demodex test among other types of tests, Dr. Maskin was able to determine the co-morbidities which led to or exaggerated my dry eye symptoms, and subsequently he devised a treatment plan targeted especially for me and my co-morbidities. … Later, after surgery, he performed MG probing for all four lids with his special probing instruments, which he devised, and my eyes began to feel so much better over the next few months."
Results
"Now I live with comfortable eyes, and I have my life back, thanks to the successful treatment of my condition. I say all of this to let you know that there is hope for those of us who have a particularly debilitating case of dry eye which doesn't lean itself to the usual protocols generally prescribed by dry eye doctors."
Chad M., a 25 year old male from Tampa, FL
"My probing with Dr. Maskin was very successful and produced results that beat all of the attempts with warm compresses I had tried before. I had no idea how essential probing was for my overall eye health. I thought eye scratchiness and watering were normal. Probing with Dr. Maskin revealed so much about my eyes and provided a level of comfort I didn't know was possible. Dr. Maskin and his staff are incredibly comprehensive and take your care to heart!"
Henry M., a 77 year old male from Winter Park, FL
I became a patient of Dr. Maskin after more than 10 years of Dry Eye Disease and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction treatments that provided only limited or temporary relief. Prior to seeing him, I had tried prescription medications, lid treatments, LipiFlow, IPL, TearCare, warm compresses, and many artificial tears. Despite those efforts, my condition continued to worsen.
Dr. Maskin’s approach was different. He evaluated the full ocular surface picture and treated multiple contributing factors rather than focusing only on short-term symptom relief. Over the past four years, I have had four meibomian gland probing treatments. In my experience, probing was the key intervention that made a meaningful difference after many other treatments had fallen short.
I am very pleased with my results. While every patient’s situation is different, my own experience has been one of substantial improvement, better stability, and much greater confidence about the future of my eye health.
Shawn B., a 62 year old female from The Villages, FL
Snippets from Shawn’s full testimonial.
Symptoms
"My growing discomfort had forced me to stop reading or pursuing my hobbies and generally just being able to function normally day to day. I found myself more and more wanting to go to bed earlier than usual just so I could close my eyes. I felt disabled, discouraged and depressed, and felt that very few people understood what I was going through. I knew that I was experiencing significant meibomian gland dysfunction and had believed that once the glands were atrophied they were gone forever and that their function could never be restored.”
Treatment
"After extensive testing on day one, when it was discovered I actually had four co-morbidities contributing to my severe dry eye disease, I underwent meibomian gland probing of all four eyelids the next day. Being able to audibly hear the popping sound as he probed the glands was music to my ears!"
Results
"I had not felt that level of moisture in my eyes for over four years and it was a glorious sensation! I will happily return to Dr. Maskin for future probing sessions to maintain the newly found health of my meibomian glands. I could not recommend him more, and want you to realize there IS hope for you too!"
Barbara, a female patient:
“Ten years ago, I began to develop eye discomfort. For two of those years it was treated with over the counter eye drops and prescription glasses. As my discomfort grew, I went to see doctor after doctor. My discomfort became worse to the point where I felt I could not work. Discomfort turned to desperation.
I traveled from doctor to doctor receiving in some cases painful procedures. By some miracle, a friend of a friend mentioned Dr Maskin. I made the appointment and was prepared to be disappointed once again. Boy was I wrong!!!!!!!
I refer to Dr. Maskin when I speak to other people as my Eye Savior! The Doctor meticulously diagnosed each part of my total eye problem and treated it thoughtfully and to my great joy SUCCESSFULLY! There is not enough thumbs up for Dr. Steve Maskin.”
Lindsay, a female patient:
“I’d been searching online for probably years to find help. I think a lot of what they’re doing is like a band aid procedure... not getting to the heart or core of it all. Prior to finding Dr. Maskin, it just was hopeless. Nobody knew or had a clue what they were doing. Nobody out there knows what you’re dealing with. If you have some sort of cancer or you break your leg… everyone can see. But I didn’t look sick. And I’d never heard of anybody going through this before. They just gave me drops and sent me away and then I just kind of gave up actually after that.
My eyes were just bone dry and I had pain and pressure… I had a lot of pain… My life was on hold. I couldn’t do anything.
And then I did some research and found Dr. Maskin’s book… and my husband said right well that’s not good enough we need to just come down here. And that’s what we’ve done ever since.”
Links to video testimonies can be found here:
Bobbi https://vimeo.com/328267696
Heather https://vimeo.com/326909832
Natalia https://vimeo.com/318857612
“I definitely felt like my eyes were lighter. There was no sense of pressure, no pain.
I could tell immediately there was a reduction in the sensitivity to light which for me was something that was pretty extreme.
Just from those 24-48 hours I could feel marked improvement. I was really just blown away and excited.”
Dr. Steven Maskin
I am compelled to share what I have learned with eye doctors and patients who have been drowned in misinformation on how to manage ubiquitous MGD and DE. For this reason I have founded ‘MGD Innovations, Inc.’ (MGDi.com) whose core mission is to provide the devices and education for efficient, safe and effective management of these diseases avoiding wasted dollars and time.