Advanced Treatments & Clinics
Our clinics have been established for the detection and treatment of specific eye health conditions. The clinics offer specialised eye health services beyond the scope of a standard eye examination. Each clinic is run by passionate staff members with genuine interest in their chosen speciality.
We are continuing to add new advanced treatments by investing in continuing education for our staff and new technologies for our practices. Our current clinics available are The Children's Vision Clinic, The Low Vision Clinic, The Dry Eye Clinc, The Ortho K Clinic, and The Speciality Contact Lens Clinic.
Dry Eye Clinic
Dry Eye Clinic
Do you suffer from gritty, itchy, red, burning or watery eyes? You may have a condition known as Dry Eye Syndrome. This is a common eye health issue that affects nearly 20% of New Zealanders. That means one in five of us deals with this condition every day – the Dry Eye Clinic is focused on diagnosing and treating all forms of dry eye cases.
What is Dry Eye?
The most common dry eye condition is Meibomian Gland Disorder. It is caused by poor tear film quality – a lack of oily tears. These oily tears are produced by a row of glands along the edge of your eyelids, Meibomian Glands. If the glands become blocked the eye cannot produce enough of the oily moisturising tears.
Dry eye can start out as a minor problem but a number of factors can increase the severity of the problem. Air conditioning, medications, age, health or lifestyle issues, and computer use may cause your dry eye symptoms to increase over time.
Symptoms you may experience if you suffer from Dry Eye include:
- burning, stinging, gritty eyes
- dry or itchy eyes
- watery eyes
- feeling as though something is in your eye
- red or red rimmed eyes
- headaches and blurred vision
- sensitivity to windy or dry weather conditions
- sensitivity to bright light
If you answered yes to any of the above you may benefit from some form of dry eye treatment.
What Treatment Options are Available?
Once your dry eye condition is diagnosed we can recommend the most suitable course of action for you. Treatment options can be simple, like lubricating eye drops or eyelid scrubs to soothe and clean your eyes and eyelids. If the condition is severe there are more permanent treatments to consider like Punctal Plugs, a silicone device inserted into the tear duct to decrease watery eyes, or Intense Pulse Light (IPL) which you can read more about below.
IPL - Relieve Dry, Itchy & Watery Eyes Without Eye Drops!
The E-Eye IPL machine is an intense pulsed light technology that uses sequenced light pulses to stimulate the meibomian glands to return to normal function. Paterson Burn are one of the very few leaders in the profession offerering this state of the art technology. We have achieved excellent results with a broad range of cases since purchasing the technology in February 2015.
Best solution for dry eye available
We recommend this treatment as the best solution for dry eye available. The procedure is cumulative, so for maximum results three treatments are required over a period of 45 days. The treatment itself is straight forward, your eyes are covered with goggles and protective gel is applied around your eyes. The treatment is on your cheeks close around your eyes. You will notice a warm sensation and bright light and a feeling similar to a rubber band being flicked on your skin. You can resume normal activities immediately after the treatment – making IPL a quick and painless solution to your dry eye discomfort.
The E-Eye IPL treatment is currently available at Paterson Burn Hamilton. Please phone us to discuss whether IPL can work for you.