dry eye clinic

Almost everyone has experienced a feeling of dry eye at some time. Some people have very mild dry eye, which causes only temporary irritation. Dry eye can also be a long-term condition associated with great discomfort or pain, and can affect your vision. Dry eye is very common but people who experience this condition should not think they just have to live with it. Due to improvements in diagnosis and treatment of dry eye, almost all dry eye patients can experience relief of their symptoms.

Dry eye starts with a reduction in the quality or quantity of tears. Tear film comprises three layers that work together to keep your eyes moist and protected. The top oily layer helps to prevent the evaporation of tears. The middle, watery layer is the thickest layer and the sticky bottom layer helps the tear film to adhere to the eye. If anything upsets the tear film it can become unstable and evaporate. This results in dryness and inflammation of the cornea (front of the eye).

Our Optometrist will conduct tests that investigate tear production and tear evaporation and examine the integrity of your tear film. They may also instill special dyes into the eye that reveal areas of dryness or irritation.

Dry or windy environments can contribute to dry eye, as well as prolonged concentration when reading or using a computer. Dry eye is also one of the most common side-effects of contact lens wear and refractive laser surgery.

Ageing and hormonal changes including menopause can decrease the amount and quality of tears produced. Certain medications and autoimmune conditions may also result in changes to the tear film and tear production. Blepharitis is a common eye condition that affects the eyelids, resulting in tear film instability.

Treatment depends on the type and severity of the condition. Treatment can include ocular lubricants to relieve the symptoms of dry eye. Your optometrist may also prescribe eye-drops or recommend omega-3 supplements to help reduce inflammation of the cornea.

dry eye symptoms

Feeling that something is in your eyes

Itchy, sore, gritty, watery or red eyes

Sore eyes when using a computer for extended periods

Sensitivity to light

Stinging, scratchy or burning eyes

Difficulty wearing contact lenses

Blurred vision or intermittent blurred vision

Struggling with night driving

what is IRPL?

TearStim® is the latest in Intensive Regulated Pulsed Light or “IRPL”, it offers a new, long-lasting solution for patients to help Meibomian gland dysfunction and manage dry eye.

IRPL works by treating Meibomian gland dysfunction. Meibomian glands that are not functioning correctly can eventually lead to gland dropout (loss) or atrophy, which leads to long-term and severe dry eye symptoms. When meibomian glands don’t secrete enough oil onto the eye, tears evaporate too quickly, leading to a cycle of inflammation, in turn this will lead to symptoms such as burning, stinging, irritation, watering, and redness.

Our therapy provides perfectly calibrated light pulses that target the meibomian glands. These light pulses result in a neurological stimulation of the parasympathetic nerve which supplies the meibomian glands.

This stimulation helps to:

Regenerate the meibomian glands
Improve the quality of meibomian gland secretions
Stabilise the lipid (oil) layer of the tear film

The regulated light pulses from IRPL help break the vicious cycle of inflammation, leading to a long-term improvement of Meibomian gland dysfunction and dry eye symptoms.

It is recommended you have 4 - 6 treatments, that are 2 - 3 weeks apart. This is based on your treatment response and the Optometrist recommendations.

It is recommended to repeat one application once a year to re-fresh the effect.