If your eyes often feel dry, gritty, tired, or even watery — you’re not alone. Dry Eye Disease (DED) is one of the most common (and most overlooked) eye conditions worldwide. And at Illume Eye Care, it’s something we take seriously.

This July, as part of Dry Eye Awareness Month, we’ve been sharing expert insights on our social media into what dry eye is, why it happens, and how we treat it — both at home and in-clinic — to help you find long-term relief and comfort.

What Is Dry Eye Disease?

Dry Eye Disease (DED) occurs when your tears aren’t able to provide enough lubrication to keep your eyes comfortable and protected. This can happen when:

• You don’t produce enough tears
• Your tears evaporate too quickly
• The quality or balance of your tears is off (often due to meibomian gland dysfunction)

Symptoms can range from mildly irritating to deeply uncomfortable, including:

• Dryness, grittiness, or a sandy sensation
• Eye redness and irritation
• Blurry or fluctuating vision
• Stinging or burning
• Excessive watering (yes, even watery eyes can be a sign of dryness)

Dry eye is more than just a nuisance — it affects how you see, how your eyes feel, and your overall quality of life. The good news? There’s so much we can do to help.

Why Do We Get Dry Eye?

Dry eye is complex, with many contributing factors. Some of the most common include:

Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD)
These eyelid oil glands are essential for tear stability. If they’re blocked or inflamed, tears evaporate too quickly.

Hormonal Changes
Especially during menopause or with conditions like polycystic ovarian syndrome.

Screen Time
We blink less when we stare at screens, which reduces tear distribution and leads to surface dryness.

The Environment
Wind, heating, air conditioning, and smoke all play a role.

Medications
Antihistamines, antidepressants, oral contraceptives, and more can reduce tear production.

Eye surgery and Contact Lens Wear
Procedures like LASIK or extended lens wear can disrupt the tear film.

Systemic Health Conditions
A long list of health conditions are linked to dry eye disease, including IBS, Thyroid Disease, Inflammatory Disorders and Rosacea. 

Understanding the “why” behind your dry eye is the first step toward relief — and it’s what we focus on during your Illume consultation.

How Do You Diagnose Dry Eye?

As the reasons we get Dry Eye are multifactorial, the signs might not always be obvious. That’s why we use a combination of clinical experience and cutting-edge diagnostic technology. At Illume, your dry eye assessment may include:

• Tear film evaluation: measuring tear stability and volume
• Meibography: imaging the oil glands to see if they’re blocked or atrophied
• Ocular surface imaging: assessing inflammation and tissue quality
• Lid margin analysis: checking for debris, biofilm, or blepharitis

You’ll receive a clear explanation of what’s going on — and most importantly, a personalised treatment plan.

At-Home Dry Eye Management

While in-clinic therapies can offer fast relief and can get to the root cause of the condition, good home habits are the foundation of long-term dry eye comfort. Here’s what we often recommend:

Lubricating Eye Drops
Lubricating drops protect and hydrate the surface of your eyes — but they do more than just soothe symptoms. Lubricating drops also help support healing of the ocular surface, reduce inflammation, and improve tear film stability. They're often the foundation of dry eye treatment.

Not all drops are created equal, which is why we recommend a range of formulas to suit different eyes, symptoms, and routines — whether you need something light for daytime use or a thicker gel for overnight relief.

A good place to start is BioRevive or Systane Complete - both are preservative-free formulas that mimics all layers of the tear film, ideal for moderate to severe dry eye.

In Practice, we’ll guide you in choosing the best option for your individual needs — including how often to use drops and why we're making a specific recommendation. With consistent use, the right lubricants not only improve comfort, but also support the long-term health of your eyes.

Warm Compresses
If you have meibomian gland dysfunction, warming your eyelids helps melt the natural oils in your meibomian glands and keeps them flowing. A few minutes a day with a heated eye mask can reduce symptoms and improve gland health. Warm compresses are effective in helping soothe tired eyes but they also prevent redness of the eyes and eyelids. They do need to be done the right way. Two to three times per week is a great routine, but more may be necessary in severe cases. We also know a warm face cloth doesn't cut it anymore. Whatever you use, temperature and time are essential. Most heated bags require at least 10 minutes, and other devices will be specific about the time and heat level… follow the manufacturer’s recommendation.

Keep your Eye Lids & Lashes Clean
Beyond removing make up (if you wear it), gentle, daily eyelid cleansing plays a role in keeping the eyes clear and comfortable. Ensuring clean eyelids and lash line keeps harmful bacteria at bay, removes debris and build up of debris, and can inhibit mites living in your lashes. 

Eat a healthy diet including omega-3-rich foods
Omega-3 fatty acids help improve the quality of the oil layer in your tears. Think salmon, flaxseed oil, chia seeds, and walnuts. If you want to consider a supplement, they’re not all created equal… Take a re-esterified formula with an EPA to DHA ratio of at least 2:1 with around 1000mg EPA and 500mg DHA per day. Effects should be noted after 12 weeks, but in most cases, it's beneficial to make omega-3 part of your daily nutrition long-term.

Hydration
Staying well-hydrated supports healthy tear production.

Sleep & Rest
Poor sleep, disrupted circadian rhythms, stress and fatigue can all impact tear production and eye surface health. Give your eyes — and body — the rest they need. Aim for 7–8 hours of restorative sleep in a dark, cool environment.

Mind the Screen Work
Digital devices are part of our modern world, but we need to be mindful screen work is linked to reduced blinking, less complete blinking and meibomian gland dysfunction. Take breaks when you can, but when you can't remember the 20/20 rule – every 20 minutes, take a 20-second break looking off into the distance. Make sure your screen position is so that you're looking down slightly and "Think Blink" – blink when you look off into the distance, and any time your eyes are feeling tired. 

Consider the Environment
Can you avoid smoke and other air pollutants? Wear sunglasses when outdoors, particularly on windy days. Avoid the breeze from fans, AC, air vents & heating. If you know you're going to be in an environment that increases your eye discomfort, be proactive and use lubricating drops prior.

Small steps at home can make a big difference to dry eyes.

In-Practice  Professional Treatments

When home care alone isn’t enough, our in-clinic treatments are designed to address the root causes of Dry Eye Disease — not just mask the symptoms. These therapies target inflammation, restore meibomian gland function, and improve the health of your eyelids and tear film. Most importantly, they’re tailored to your individual needs following a comprehensive dry eye assessment.

Here’s a closer look at the advanced treatments we offer at Illume Eye Care:

ZEST (Zocular Eyelid System Treatment)
ZEST is a medical-grade eyelid cleaning system developed by a US ophthalmologist that uses a natural okra-based gel to deeply cleanse the lid margins. It removes:

• Biofilm (a bacterial coating that can irritate the eye)
• Debris, crusting, and oil buildup

• Demodex mites — microscopic parasites often linked to blepharitis and meibomian gland dysfunction

ZEST is comfortable, quick, and effective — often used at the start of a dry eye treatment plan to reset the eyelid environment and reduce inflammation.

Blephasteam
Blephasteam is a moist heat therapy device designed specifically for the eyelids. It delivers consistent, gentle heat and humidity to the meibomian glands, helping to:

• Soften hardened oils
• Unblock the glands
• Promote better tear quality and flow

It’s especially beneficial for patients with meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and is often used prior to manual gland expression for enhanced results.

IPL (Intense Pulsed Light)
One of our favourite, evidence based, treatments that not only improves patient symptoms but gets to the root cause of meibomain gland dysfunction. A light-based therapy that targets inflammation and improves meibomian gland function.

IPL uses gentle bursts of light applied to the skin around the eyes to reduce inflammation and treat the underlying vascular dysfunction often seen in dry eye disease. It helps by:

• Reducing abnormal blood vessels that release inflammatory mediators
• Improving the function of meibomian glands
• Stimulating collagen and reducing lid margin inflammation

This treatment is ideal for patients with rosacea, lid margin inflammation, or chronic MGD and is typically delivered in a series of sessions for best results.

LLLT (Low-Level Light Therapy)
LLLT is a form of light photobiomodulation, which uses gentle wavelengths of light to stimulate the body’s natural healing response. When applied to the eyelids, LLLT helps to:

• Reduce inflammation
• Promote tissue repair
• Improve meibomian gland function
• Soothe inflamed eyelid margins
• Reduce bacterial load and demodex mites

It’s especially useful for meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD) and blepharitis, where inflammation and gland obstruction are central to the disease process. LLLT can reduce redness, calm irritated lids, and support healthier oil flow — often without the need for physical contact.

This non-invasive, contact-free therapy is delivered with your eyes closed and is suitable for most skin types. It can be used as a standalone treatment or as part of a combined plan with IPL, LipiFlow, Blephasteam, or eyelid cleansing therapies for enhanced results.

LipiFlow Thermal Pulsation Therapy
LipiFlow is one of the most well-established treatments for meibomian gland dysfunction. The gold standard medical device for blocked meibomian glands, it combines:

• Controlled heat to the inner eyelids to soften hardened oil
• Gentle pulsing pressure to express the glands and clear blockages

This treatment is performed in a single in-clinic session and has been shown in clinical trials to provide lasting improvement in gland function and symptom relief.

Each of these treatments is delivered in a calm, clinical setting by experienced optometrists, with your comfort and safety in mind. We’ll guide you through the process, explain what to expect, and track your results over time to ensure you’re getting the most out of your care.

Combining in-practice therapies with a personalised at-home routine can significantly reduce your symptoms, restore comfort, and protect your long-term eye health.

Why Choose Illume for Dry Eye?

Dry Eye Disease is personal — and so is our approach. At Illume Eye Care:

• You’ll be seen by optometrists who specialise in dry eye diagnosis and treatment.
• We use advanced imaging and evidence-based treatments tailored to your unique presentation.
• Our clinic is warm, welcoming, and built around longer appointment times and in-depth care.
• We happy to work with you and your current optometrist or ophthalmologist to get the best results. 

Whether you’ve tried drops that haven’t worked, or you’re just starting to explore dry eye as a possible cause of your symptoms — we’re here for you.