Dry Eye Management
Dry eye is one of the most common reasons people come to see us - and for most people, it's a chronic condition to manage well, not a single problem to cure.
You're far from alone
Dry eye affects a very large proportion of adults at some point, and becomes more common with age, screen use and contact lens wear - it's one of the most frequent things we see and treat.
Two patterns, often overlapping
Not enough tears
Reduced tear production - becoming more common with age, certain medications, and some underlying health conditions.
Tears evaporating too fast
The far more common pattern - tears are produced, but don't last, usually because the tear film's protective oily layer isn't working properly.
Everyday contributing factors
Screen time and reduced blink rate, contact lens wear, air conditioning and central heating, and windy or dry environments all make either pattern worse.
Meibomian gland dysfunction
In the great majority of dry eye cases, the real problem isn't a lack of tears at all - it's the tiny glands along your eyelids that produce the tear film's protective oily layer.
Every blink spreads a thin oily layer across your tears, stopping them evaporating too quickly. The meibomian glands along your eyelid margins produce that oil - and when they become blocked or stop working properly (meibomian gland dysfunction, or MGD), that protective layer breaks down. Tears that would otherwise be perfectly sufficient simply evaporate too fast, and the result feels exactly like dry, gritty, irritated eyes - even though tear production was never really the problem. Identifying MGD, rather than just treating the symptom, is central to getting dry eye properly under control.
We don’t provide the cure - we provide the plan and the tools
For almost everyone, dry eye is a long-term condition to manage well, not a single problem to permanently fix. That means an honest, ongoing plan built around your own specific cause - combining in-clinic treatment with consistent daily habits - rather than a one-off prescription and hoping for the best.
Time outdoors and away from air conditioning or forced-air heating where you can.
Regular screen breaks, and consciously blinking fully and often during close-up work.
Warm compresses and lid hygiene at home, as a daily habit rather than an occasional fix.
Omega-3, 6 and 9 fatty acids, which have been shown to help improve tear quality.
Treatments & procedures we offer
Punctum plugs
Tiny plugs inserted into the tear drainage ducts to keep your own natural tears on the eye's surface for longer - available as a temporary, dissolvable trial, or a permanent option once we know it helps.
Lacrimal duct syringing & probing
A quick in-clinic procedure to check and clear a blocked or narrowed tear drainage duct, where that's contributing to your symptoms.
Meibomian gland expression
A gentle procedure, performed under local anaesthetic, to physically clear blocked meibomian glands and get them producing properly again.
Let’s find out what’s really causing yours
A proper assessment identifies your specific cause, not just the symptom - so the plan we build with you actually addresses it.
Book an eye examination