Dry Eye Treatment Hastings & Hawke’s Bay / IPL / Lipiflow

What is Dry Eye?

Dry eye occurs when the eyes do not produce enough tears, or when the tears are poor quality and cannot form a stable protective film over the eye’s delicate surface.

It becomes more common with age, particularly in women, and can also be linked to certain health conditions, medications and reduced blinking during prolonged computer, tablet or screen use.

Healthy tears contain three layers: a sticky base layer, a watery middle layer and an oily top layer that helps slow evaporation.

When this tear film is disrupted, the eyes may feel dry, gritty, sore, red or irritated. Vision may fluctuate, and the eyes can become sensitive to bright light, wind or air conditioning.

Despite the name, dry eye can also cause excessive watering, as irritation triggers reflex tears.

So you maybe you have Dry Eye? 

We treat patients from Hastings, Waipukurau, Wairoa, Taradale Napier, Clive, Haumoana, Havelock North and all over the Sunny Hawkes Bay.

Let us help restore your comfortable vision, Book in for a Dry Eye Assessment at our Hastings Practice.

Who is at risk?

  • Increasing age – it affects 75% of people over 65 years of age
  • Females – hormonal changes (eg, pregnancy, menopause, oral contraceptives)
  • Lacrimal and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD), or inflammation of the eyelids and the surrounding delicate surface – you may have red eyelid margins and scaly eyelashes (blepharitis)
  • Medications – eg, decongestants, antihistamines, oral contraceptives, antidepressants, isotretinoin, for acne, blood pressure tablets and 'red eye' drops
  • Underlying conditions such as Sjögren's syndrome
  • Other conditions to consider are: rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, asthma, thyroid disease, other autoimmune diseases
  • Computer screens use – users tend to blink less, especialy contact lenses wearing computer users.
  • Air Conditioning - Environments of super drying, cooling, heating and constant air conditioning evaporate the eyes quicker than normal, this can upset folks whose tear film is only just hanging in there and tip them over the edge to Dry eye.
Close up of an eye
Close up of eye drops

Treatment Options

If there is an obvious cause, then treatment will aim to reduce or address this issue such as changing a medication, contact lenses or treating blepharitis. If you use a computer a lot, then you need to train yourself to blink more often!

  • Intense Pulsed Repeated Light (IPL) 4 sessions of IPL to re-innervate the nerves for Meibomian Gland Dysfunction
  • Lipiflow Lid treatment to heat and express the blocked Meibomian oil glands of the lids 1 session
  • 10 week Dry Eye Protocol with Combined IPL, Lipiflow, Lid expressions heat packs and Blephasteam Moisture heat goggle treatments.
  • Artificial tears and lubricant eye drops or gels,  eg, Preservative free drops like Carmellose drops, TheraTears Drops, Hyloforte, Hylofresh, Evolve Gel, TheraTears Gel.
  • Training on the use of Bandage Contact lenses insertion & removal and supply of first Contact lenses.
  • Eye drops to soothe irritated eyes which are slightly red, eg, Albalon Relief
  • Eye washes, eg, Optrex Eye Wash with eye bath
  • Eye ointments to soothe dry eyes - longer lasting, better protecting and best used at night as they often may cause blurred vision, eg, Polyvisc, Lacri-Lube, Viscotears, Genteal Gel, Manuka honey based Optimel Drops or Gel, or VitApos ointment.
  • A wide range of Pharmacy only medications containing a decongestant (only use for 1 to 3 days), eg, Albalon, Albalon A Allergy Eye Drops Clear Eyes, Clear Eyes Allergy

Do you want to know more. Check out Dry Eye Syndrome with the Dry Eye Specialists

Check out our Blog on Dry Eye

Start the process to Understand Your Dry eye today and Book an Appointment with us

Testimonials for IPL Dry Eye Treatment

"I've been pleasantly surprised with the results from my first IPL treatment; I have not had to use any eyedrops in the last fortnight & I have only woken in the night with irritated eyes a couple of times."  -Sonya E

“It doesn’t hurt! I wore the special eye shields and I saw a flash of red light and felt slight warmth on the skin just below my eye – each treatment is very quick too.I started to notice an improvement two weeks after the first treatment and now after the four treatments I am very happy with the result. I don’t have sore red eyes anymore. It has changed my life”- Jill Hui.

Come in and see us

Kiwi's know that good things take time, so come to us, have the tests done without feeling that you have been "rushed thru", and you'll know what we mean when we say "we take the time!"

Book appointment

Come in and see us

Kiwi's know that good things take time, so come to us, have the tests done without feeling that you have been "rushed thru", and you'll know what we mean when we say "we take the time!"

Book appointment