Specialist Dry Eye Clinic in Keighley
We specialise in identifying and helping to treat Dry Eye Disease
Specialist Dry Eye Assessment
Appointment length: up to 90 minutes
Dry eye isn’t the same for everyone. Symptoms can arise from problems with the tear film, meibomian glands, eyelids, ocular surface, inflammation, reduced tear production or a combination of different factors.
That’s why our Specialist Dry Eye Assessment allows up to 90 minutes to investigate your symptoms in detail.
Rather than simply establishing that your eyes are dry, our aim is to understand what type of dry eye you may have, what could be contributing to it and which treatment options are most appropriate for you.
Understanding your symptoms
There is no single test that tells us everything we need to know about dry eye.
A significant part of your appointment is therefore spent talking to you about your symptoms and factors that may be contributing to them, including:
• Symptoms and triggers
• Previous treatments and eye drops
• General health and medications
• Occupation and screen use
• Lifestyle and environment
• Contact lens wear
• Diet and other relevant factors
This information is combined with a detailed examination of your tear film, ocular surface, eyelids and meibomian glands.
Advanced Dry Eye Diagnostics
Airedale Opticians has invested in specialist dry-eye diagnostic technology, including the Topcon MYAH, InflammaDry and ScoutPro Tear Osmolarity system.
Depending on your symptoms and clinical findings, your assessment may include:
1. Dry Eye Questionnaire
A structured questionnaire helps us understand the frequency and severity of your symptoms and provides a useful baseline for monitoring changes following treatment.
2. Meibography
Specialist imaging allows us to examine and document the meibomian glands within your eyelids.
These glands produce the oily component of your tears, which helps prevent excessive evaporation. Imaging their structure can provide valuable information when assessing Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).
3. Tear Film Break-Up Time
Measures how long your tear film remains stable between blinks, helping us assess tear-film quality and stability.
4. Tear Meniscus Height
Measures the small reservoir of tears along the lower eyelid, providing additional information about tear volume.
5. Schirmer Test
Where appropriate, a Schirmer test may be used to assess tear production.
A small sterile paper strip is placed gently at the lower eyelid for a set period of time. The amount of moisture absorbed provides additional information about the eye’s ability to produce tears and can be particularly useful when reduced aqueous tear production is suspected.
The result is interpreted alongside your symptoms and the other findings from your dry-eye assessment rather than being used in isolation.
6. Blink Analysis
Assesses your blinking pattern, including incomplete blinking, which can contribute to tear-film instability and ocular-surface symptoms.
7. Corneal Topography
Detailed mapping of the front surface of the eye provides additional information about the cornea and may be useful in selected patients, particularly where ocular-surface irregularity or specialist contact-lens management is being considered.
8. InflammaDry
Where clinically appropriate, InflammaDry can test for elevated MMP-9, an inflammatory marker associated with ocular-surface inflammation.
This provides another piece of information that can help your optometrist understand the nature of your dry-eye condition and determine appropriate management.
9. ScoutPro Tear Osmolarity
ScoutPro provides an objective measurement of tear osmolarity — the concentration of dissolved particles within your tears.
This can provide additional information about tear-film homeostasis and can be used alongside your symptoms and other clinical findings when assessing dry-eye disease.
Your Personalised Treatment Plan
Once your assessment is complete, your optometrist will explain the findings and recommend a treatment plan based on your individual type of dry eye, clinical findings and symptoms.
Having managed dry-eye patients for over a decade, we recognise that no two patients are exactly the same. Your treatment may therefore involve a combination of home management, appropriate eye drops, prescription treatment or specialist in-practice therapies depending on what we find.
Where appropriate, we will arrange a follow-up appointment to assess your progress, discuss how you are managing and make changes to your treatment plan if required.
Not every patient requires every diagnostic test. Your optometrist will select the investigations most appropriate to your symptoms and clinical findings.
Dry Eye Treatments Available at Airedale Opticians
We offer a variety of Dry Eye treatments in-house. We now offer the revolutionary IPL/LLLT treatment (see details below).
We can provide tear duct syringing which can break down and remove blockages in the tear ducts. We can also fit Puctum Plugs, tiny plugs that fit into the tear ducts and avoid excessive drainage of the tears.
All of these procedures can be carried out by one of your trusted optometrists, in practice, at a date and time that suit you, no doctor or hospital referrals are required. See our Fees Page for pricing details.
Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) and Low Level Light Therapy (LLLT)
Current treatments for Dry Eye treat the symptoms to enable you to be more comfortable. However, there is a now a treatment available which treats MGD (Meibomian Gland Dysfunction), the cause of up to 80% of dry eye cases.
IPL (Intense Pulse Light) treatment combined with LLLT (low level light therapy) is a pain-free and effective way to treat dry eye conditions related to MGD, improving tear quality and other symptoms reported by patients
How Does IPL/LLLT Work?
IPL causes photocoagulation (it closes these abnormal vessels) and also photorejuvenation of the skin cells. IPL treatment also opens up the meibomian glands and liquifies of the oil within the glands.
How quickly does it work?
Costs of Treatment
- Dry Eye Assessment £269
Dry Eye Investigation with Meibography, Diagnosis & Treatment Plan. Includes Osmolarity & one follow up appointment.
- IPL (Intense Pulsed Light) & Meibomian Gland Expression £795
4 Sessions of IPL including Meibomian Gland Expression after each IPL Treatment
- LLLT Low Level Light Therapy £200
4 Sessions of Low Level Light Therapy Following Each IPL Session
- IPL and LLLT One- Off Treatment £249
Following initial treatment of IPL and LLLT - This is the cost of one-off IPL & LLLT (Includes Gland Expression)
- IPL Stye/ Chalazion Treatment £499
Includes Assessment, and up to 2 sessions of IPL and LLLT
- Lacrifill Gel £450
Includes Lacrimal Syringing and Lacrifill Gel for Both Eyes.
- Zest Treatment for Ocular Inflammation £160
Intense Zest Treatment to help bring Eye inflammation under control quickly
- Blephex Blepharitis Treatment £120
Eyelid debridement (cleaning) treatment to intensely clean the eyelashes from Blepharitis
- Dry Eye Assessment Follow Up £85
Follow up appointments within 6 months of original appointment
Other Treatment Options
Punctal Plugs
Punctal plugs are small devices that are used to block the tear drainage channel in the inner corner of your eye. The plugs are inserted into the tear duct opening, which is called the puncta. Tears normally drain out from this channel through the back of your nose and into the back of your throat. The punctal plug acts as a dam by preventing tears from flowing out. This helps keeps your eyes moist with your own tears. They can also help artificial tears last longer.
Punctal plugs can be inserted for a short amount of time or permanently. Temporary punctal plugs are typically made out of collagen, a material that is found in bone and skin. These plugs naturally dissolve over time. Permanent punctal plugs are usually made out of silicone.
How Are Punctal Plugs Inserted?
Punctal plugs can be inserted in the lower eyelid, upper eyelid, or both. Before your eye care practioner inserts a plug, he/she will measure the opening of your tear duct to determine the size of plug that you will need to block your tear duct. He/she will sometimes use topical anesthetic drops (numbing drops) before the procedure, but in many cases, no anesthesia is needed. The exact way your eye care practioner inserts the plug depends on the design and shape. Some plugs come with special inserters, but other types are inserted with forceps or other instruments. The location of insertion also depends on the type of plug. You can see some plugs after they are inserted. Others are inserted deeper into the tear duct and will not be visible when you look in the mirror.
You may have some mild discomfort while the punctal plugs are inserted, but it will be very brief. Most people cannot feel the plugs once they are in place. If they do feel them, it is a mild sensation that is not bothersome. You can resume normal activities and drive yourself home immediately after the procedure.
How Are Punctal Plugs Removed?
Temporary punctal plugs dissolve naturally and do not require removal. Permanent punctal plugs do not need to be removed unless you are bothered by them or develop an infection (which is extremely rare).
Removing punctal plugs is usually very easy. Your eye care practitioner may take out the plug using forceps. If the punctal plug has migrated deeper into the tear duct and cannot be removed with forceps, the plug can be flushed out using saline solution.
What are the Risks of Punctal Plugs?
Punctal plugs rarely cause serious side effects, but they do have some risks. Possible risks include:
- The plug falling out, this is the most common problem
- Excessive tearing, the plugs can be removed if this happens
- Eye infection, the plug can be removed if this happens
Flow Controllers
Flow controllers are a tiny hollow insert which are placed in the tear duct, holding it open.
These Flow Controller plugs are used for draining tears in the treatment of Epiphora caused by zero flow while the rest of the lacrimal duct is normal and keeps a blocked punctum open assuring normal tear regulation.
