IPL Without Protective Glasses. Do Eyes Get Damaged?

It is advised to have some form of protective eyewear on the patient when performing laser procedures, as it is better to be safe than run the risk of injury to the eye.  We use IPL protective eye stickers at our practice, so that the goggles do not get in the way when performing a treatment.

Safety first!!!  Always wear protective eye shields, glasses, goggles,  etc.  during any laser procedure.   It makes no sense to take any risk no matter how small. 

Generally speaking, we advise wearing laser goggles as well as keeping your eyes tight underneath them. If you get too close to the eyes, just squeezing really tight may not be enough and its a risk of sight which is not worth it. If the goggles are in the way, then ask your physician to put special eye shields into your eye.

The makers of IPL machines advise that all patients should wear protective glasses for the entire procedure. There are advanced glasses that have a center nose piece that flips up and down so it allows the treatment head to move around the forehead much easier. There are also sticker shield protectors (which some people just truly hate so we don't use them as often), that are an option too. The office you go for your procedures should be aware of these different protective types available because taking your protective glasses off for the entire forehead isn't a safe enough option.