Thursday, September 25, 2025

Is Radio frequency better than IPL and worth the money?

 


IPL+RF vs IPL Alone, and RF vs IPL Studies

Study (Author, Year) Comparison Main Findings Sponsorship Status Source
Chelnis et al., 2023 IPL+RF vs IPL+MGX (historical control) IPL+RF resulted in larger improvement in meibomian gland score (mMGS) compared to IPL+MGX alone; OSDI improvement also noted, but not statistically significant Sponsored (author affil.: Lumenis Be, a manufacturer) PubMed ID: 37881780
Jang et al., 2023 IPL alone (different filters) IPL alone, regardless of filter, significantly improved clinical signs and symptoms in moderate/severe dry eye compared to baseline, with no mention of RF Not sponsored by dry eye companies (government and university funds) PMC: 10126147
Chelnis et al., 2023
(from Derm News)
IPL+RF vs IPL alone IPL+RF produced a more complete and comprehensive improvement in meibomian gland health, but author discloses consultancy for Lumenis, Horizon Therapeutics, and Soniquence Sponsored (consultancy to device companies) MDEdge, April 2023
Reviews/meta-analyses IPL alone IPL alone likely results in symptom relief for DED from MGD, but unclear effect as add-on to standard care, and no direct comparison with RF or RF+IPL Not sponsored (systematic reviews, independent) PubMed/PMC 2023–2025
Hamza et al., 2023 RF alone RF heating improves meibomian gland function and dry eye, but most studies are company-sponsored (Lumenis/Soniquence devices) Sponsored Open Ophthalmol J, April 2023

Not Sponsored by Dry Companies

  • Jang et al., 2023 – IPL alone improves DED/MGD over baseline in a prospective randomized study, shows IPL efficacy without other treatments (PMC: 10126147)
  • Multiple meta-analyses/systematic reviews – IPL alone results in symptom relief, but relative efficacy versus RF/combination therapies not established (various PubMed/PMC)

Sponsored by Dry Companies

  • Chelnis et al., 2023 – IPL+RF greater improvement in gland scores and OSDI compared to IPL alone, reported in an industry-affiliated study (PubMed ID 37881780)
  • RF device studies – RF improves meibomian gland function based on results from company-linked research (Lumenis/Soniquence)



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