Advanced Dry Eye Treatment

Advanced Dry Eye Treatment 

Move beyond temporary eye drops with the revolutionary Lumenis OptiLIGHT protocol, guided by Consultant Ophthalmic Surgeon Mr Nick Kopsachilis.

Is Our Specialised Dry Eye Clinic Right for You?

Chronic dry eye is rarely just about a lack of tears. It is often driven by underlying inflammation. We offer advanced, dedicated clinical pathways tailored for direct private enquiries and patients transitioning from routine care to specialist treatments.

You may fall into one of the common groups of dry eye sufferers below:

  • Screen Users and Office Workers
    Experiencing severe digital eye strain and rapid tear-film evaporation.
  • Menopausal Women
    Experiencing sudden, hormone-driven tear instability and daily eye irritation.
  • Glaucoma Patients
    Dealing with chronic surface inflammation caused by preservatives in daily eye drops.
  • Medication Users
    Experiencing ocular dryness associated with everyday prescriptions, including some antidepressants.

Symptoms

Common symptoms of dry eye include:

  • A gritty or sandy feeling in the eyes
  • Redness
  • Stinging or burning sensation
  • Blurry vision
  • Sensitivity to light
  • Excessive tearing (as a response to irritation)
  • Eye fatigue or discomfort after prolonged screen use
  • Difficulty wearing contact lenses comfortably

Advanced Dry Eye Assessement

Your dry eye pathway begins with a comprehensive clinical evaluation of your symptoms, eye health and tear film.

Your assessment may include:

  • A review of your symptoms, medical history, medication and current eye drops.
  • An evaluation of tear film stability
  • Assessment of the quality of the protective oil layer
  • Examination of your eyelids and meibomian glands
  • Diagnostic imaging or tear film stability mapping where required
  • Tear Break-Up Time (TBUT): After fluorescein dye is instilled, the time taken for the tear film to break up on the cornea is measured; shorter times indicate instability.
  • Ocular Surface Staining: Using dyes like fluorescein, to detect damage to the corneal and conjunctival surface.
  • Schirmer Test: Measures tear production by placing a small strip of filter paper under the lower eyelid and assessing wetting after 5 minutes.
  • Meibomian Gland Evaluation: Expression of glands to check for blockages or quality of meibum (oil).

The findings will help our specialists identify the underlying factors contributing to your symptoms and design a personalised clinical pathway.

Why Leading Specialists Choose Lumenis OptiLIGHT

Kent Eye Centre is an established local practice, offering seven-day medical and surgical ophthalmology services. We have an in-house theatre facility and specialist dry eye clinic where our cornea specialists are proud to offer advanced Lumenis OptiLIGHT treatment for dry eye disease management.

Key benefits include:

Treats the Root Cause
OptiLIGHT targets and calms the surface inflammation affecting the eyelid glands. It treats Meibomian Gland Dysfunction, also known as MGD, directly rather than simply masking symptoms.

Uncompromised Comfort
Patented Optimal Pulse Technology delivers gentle, carefully controlled treatment sessions with built-in skin cooling and no clinical downtime.

Fast In-Practice Sessions
Each safe, non-invasive session takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes at our Kennington local practice.

Transparent Pricing for Your Peace of Mind

We believe in absolute clarity when it comes to your private eye care. Your comprehensive dry eye care protocol is a structured investment in your long-term vision health and daily comfort.

Initial Advanced Dry Eye Assessment
This includes detailed clinical evaluation, tear film assessment, diagnostic imaging where appropriate and the design of a personalised clinical pathway led by our cornea specialists.

Lumenis OptiLIGHT Treatment Course
This includes the full recommended series of advanced, non-invasive light therapy sessions.

Please contact our team for current prices and further information.

Your Private Pathway to Lasting Comfort

At Kent Eye Centre, we understand that dry eye can be an uncomfortable and persistent condition. That is why we have established a dedicated Dry Eye Clinic to provide tailored treatment plans for each patient. Our expert team offers a range of services to manage and alleviate dry eye symptoms, helping you achieve better eye health and comfort.

Step 1: Diagnostic Assessment

A comprehensive clinical evaluation of your unique tear film stability, oil layer quality and meibomian gland health.

Step 2: Customised Protocol

A series of fast, gentle OptiLIGHT sessions will be fine-tuned to your needs and lifestyle. This advanced protocol can be integrated with your existing at-home eyelid hygiene and maintenance routine.

Step 3: Ongoing Relief

Your progress will be reviewed as part of your personalised clinical pathway, with the aim of improving the stability of the eye’s natural moisture layer and reducing constant reliance on temporary eye drops.

Reclaim Daily Eye Comfort

Located at our modern eye clinic on Cemetery Lane in Kennington, we pair world-class clinical standards with patient convenience.

We welcome direct private enquiries alongside existing patients transitioning from general eye care pathways.

Request an appointment online or call 01233 629000 to book.

FAQs

Dry eye is a common condition in which the eyes do not produce enough tears, the tears evaporate too quickly, or the tear film does not function effectively. This can lead to irritation, fluctuating vision and discomfort.

Dry eye can have several causes, including ageing, hormonal changes, prolonged screen use, dry or windy environments, contact lens wear, certain medications, eyelid inflammation and problems with the meibomian glands that produce the oily layer of the tear film.

Symptoms include burning, stinging, redness, a gritty or sandy feeling, blurred vision, sensitivity to light and excessive tearing as a reflex.

Yes, mainly:

  • Aqueous-deficient dry eye (not enough tear production)
  • Evaporative dry eye (tears evaporate too quickly)

Yes, omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish oil) may help improve symptoms in some cases.

If left untreated, severe dry eye can damage the cornea and affect vision, so timely diagnosis and management are important.

An eye doctor will evaluate your symptoms and may perform tests like tear film breakup time, Schirmer’s test (measuring tear production), and examine the eye surface.

Treatments include artificial tears, lifestyle changes (humidifiers, breaks from screens), prescription eye drops, eyelid hygiene, and in some cases, procedures to block tear drainage.

Contact lens wear can worsen dry eye symptoms but proper lens care and selecting the right lenses can help.

If you have persistent symptoms of dry eye that do not improve with over-the-counter drops or lifestyle changes, or if your vision is affected.

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