How do you manage dry eyes?
SAMER HAMADA GIVES ADVICE ON HOW TO MANAGE DRY EYES
Dry eye disease can be managed very easily with simple eye drops, which most patients have been prescribed after seeing an optician, GP, or even a general ophthalmologist. When it comes to seeing a specialist in dry eye disease, we have other modes of treatment for those patients who don’t respond to the “first line of treatment”.
Conservative treatments
Usually, we start with conservative treatments such as artificial eyedrops to replicate the surface of the eye and we teach you modalities how to improve the environment around your eyes. We also treat any disease of the oily glands in the eyelids called the meibomian glands as this is a critical element in managing dry eye disease. 60-70% of patients with dry eye will be much better after these steps…
Don’t worry, we have a plan B
20 – 30% of patients may still have symptomatic dry eye disease after trying the conservative treatments. If this is the case, we must use a more aggressive management plan. This could include occluding the tear ducts or using a more systematic treatment like special anti-inflammatories, oral treatment, or other therapies.
We use intense pulsed light (IPL). This is a treatment to adjust the functions of the oily glands inside the eyelids.
It’s proven to make a big improvement to patients dry eyes.
There are more lines of treatment coming, and there’s a lot of reserach being done on dry eyes management. We are always keen to adapt the best, safest, and evidence-based treatments in our practice.
About the expert
Mr Samer Hamada | Consultant Ophthalmologist and Corneal Surgeon
MD, MSc, DO (hons), FRCSEd, FRCOphth I am Samer Hamada, founder and consultant ophthalmic surgeon with over 20 years’ experience in ophthalmology. I am a world-renowned specialist in cornea, cataract and refractive surgery. I’m not only a leading surgeon but also the only dual fellowship trained in corneal diseases in children from reputable institutions in the UK. At Eye Clinic London I work closely with other consultant ophthalmologists, optometrists and orthoptists to achieve the best outcomes for our patients. Our main aim is to make sure our patients get the safest and best treatments available to them. We put your safety before anything else so you can rest assured that if you choose us you will be in the best and safest hands.
