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Pair aesthetics with dry eye care to impress and engage your patients
By Nishi Mehdiratta, OD
May 19, 2026
When I moved the location of Luxe Eye Care late last year, I wanted to open with a statement—something that set us apart and closed gaps in care. We offer full-scope optometry services and run a dry eye center, but I also see a major unmet need around lid laxity, incomplete blinking and the downstream effects on the tear film. That’s why I invested in three pieces of technology that address both medical and cosmetic concerns. Together, they help my patients look and feel better, and they’ve completely changed how I treat dry eye.
Aesthetics is becoming a booming sector of optometry, and I offer cosmetic services because they often complement medical care, especially dry eye care. Plus, the revenue is unmatched. I consistently hit ROI faster with my aesthetics technology because people will pay for cosmetics long before they will pay for relief. Being able to combine clinical and cosmetic benefits with aesthetic technology sealed the deal for me.
Disclaimer: It is imperative to check your state laws on rules and regulations regarding aesthetic treatments. Many states require the addition of a medical director to ensure all aesthetic services are fully compliant with state guidelines.
RF FOR DRY EYE—AND FACE
I first dipped my toes into aesthetics with radiofrequency (RF), a modern therapy that uses controlled heat to stimulate collagen and elastin production, reducing fine lines and wrinkles. With this controlled heat also comes the ability to heat up the meibomian glands, allowing for ease of expression. I initially purchased the RF device, expecting it to become my next dry eye adjunct. But it filled a bigger need: skin tightening, smoothing fine lines and improving skin laxity without needles or recovery time. You’d be surprised how many of my patients ask for noninvasive alternatives to Botox and filler.
Training my staff on RF took about a week. Now my team runs all RF treatments, and I rarely touch the machine. It’s a simple, profitable add-on that’s completely delegable.
TREATING MGD—AND SKIN TONE CONCERNS—WITH IPL
Building off my success with RF, I decided that my next move would be intense pulsed light (IPL), a broad-spectrum light therapy used by medical and cosmetic practitioners for common aesthetic concerns such as rosacea and sunspots. I invested in the Lumenis OptiLIGHT, the only FDA-approved IPL therapy for treating dry eye and meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD).
This anti-inflammatory light therapy can be transformative for patients with ocular surface disease, reducing rosacea-related inflammation and improving gland function. The medical benefit alone justified the purchase, but I was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the aesthetic value accelerated patient adoption.
I live and work in Texas, so sunspots and uneven pigmentation are common after a long summer. When my patients learn that we have technology to remove those spots and improve skin tone, they sign up for treatment, dry eye or not. It’s an easy sell.
A SWIFT ROI WITH OPTILIFT
Moving into our new space prompted one final piece of technology to complete our aesthetics lineup. I was looking for something to treat lid laxity, incomplete blinks and improve overall muscle tone, so I purchased the Lumenis OptiLIFT. I bought it outright—something I always recommend when feasible to avoid interest—and introduced it at the beginning of 2025.
Unlike the OptiLIGHT that uses IPL to reduce inflammation and treat the root cause of MGD, the OptiLIFT combines RF and dynamic muscle stimulation (DMSt). Let’s break it down. RF alone only treats on the skin level. DMSt adds the very necessary missing link, which is strengthening muscle tone and allowing for significantly improved blinking and complete lid closure. The instant lift to the eyelids from the DMSt component is a major wow factor that patients can see immediately. I experienced a hands-on demo at a trade show in 2024, and I was sold then and there.
I see MGD associated with lid laxity and incomplete blinks every day. OptiLIFT’s DMSt component strengthens the orbicularis complex and restores blink mechanics, while its RF component helps heat up clogged glands. Together, they help stabilize the tear film. This helps me treat the root cause of the patient’s MGD rather than merely provide palliative care. Clinically, that matters more than the aesthetic element, although the instant cosmetic improvement helps with conversion. My patients love the OptiLIFT because it addresses the entire face, creating natural balance and facial harmony.
We hit ROI in just six months—the fastest yet—largely because the marketing speaks for itself. Before-and-after photos in my waiting room and exam lanes, plus meibography and in-clinic blink demos, prompt patient questions and demonstrate the medical rationale behind the cosmetic results.
DRIVE PATIENT ENGAGEMENT WITH AESTHETICS
Aesthetics are deliberately integrated at various touchpoints throughout my practice. We added an aesthetics category to our website and a cosmetic concerns box on intake forms so staff can flag issues before I enter the room. In the exam lane, I often videotape a patient’s blink at the slit lamp and play it back on the exam monitor. Seeing the issue with lid mechanics is often the moment patients recognize the problem and the need for treatment.
To encourage adherence, we offer a four-session package promotion at a 10% discount. IPL and other therapies don’t always produce dramatic medical or cosmetic change after just one visit, so the package promotion reduces dropoff and improves outcomes. If a patient asks for time to consider the package, we tell them that we’ll honor the promotion for one week. My team sends follow-up texts on days three and five, and that gentle reminder usually converts patients by the day-three message.
Bringing these three technologies together has empowered my Luxe Eye Care team to treat the full spectrum of eyelid, skin and tear-film problems while simultaneously delivering cosmetic benefits that many patients are seeking. They complement each other clinically, drive meaningful outcomes and have revitalized how I approach both dry eye and aesthetics. I urge you not to ignore or underestimate patient behavior. People will balk at a $40 specialist copay but will gladly pay for cosmetic care, so investing in aesthetics is a near-certain win for most practices.
Read more on dry eye & aesthetics here.
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Nishi Mehdiratta, OD, is the owner of Luxe Eye Care in Houston, Texas. To contact her: nishi.mehdiratta@gmail.com |
