Dry Eye Clinic
Personalised dry eye care in Deer Park, designed to find the cause and treat it at the source.
What is dry eye?
Dry eye occurs when the tear film that protects and lubricates your eyes isn't functioning properly. You might not produce enough tears, or your tears may evaporate too quickly due to issues with the oil glands in your eyelids.
It's one of the most common reasons people visit an optometrist, yet it often goes undermanaged. Many people rely on lubricant drops alone without understanding why their eyes are dry in the first place.
Common symptoms
Gritty or sandy sensation
Feeling like something is in your eyes, even when nothing is there.
Stinging or burning
Persistent irritation that worsens through the day.
Watery eyes
Eyes that tear up excessively as a reflex response to dryness.
Red or irritated eyes
Ongoing redness that eye drops only relieve temporarily.
Blurred vision
Vision that fluctuates, especially during reading or screen use.
Heavy or tired eyelids
Eyes that feel fatigued, particularly by the end of the day.
Finding the root cause
Not all dry eye is the same. Some people don't produce enough tears. Others produce tears that evaporate too quickly because the oil glands in their eyelids aren't working properly. Many have a combination of both. Without understanding which type you have, treatment is guesswork.
Evaporative Dry Eye
The most common form. It happens when the oil layer of your tear film is poor quality or insufficient, usually due to meibomian gland dysfunction. Without a healthy oil layer, your tears break down and evaporate too quickly, leaving the surface of your eye exposed and irritated.
Aqueous Deficient Dry Eye
Less common but often overlooked. Your eyes simply don't produce enough of the watery component of your tears. It can be age-related, a side effect of certain medications, or linked to underlying health conditions, resulting in a tear film too thin to keep the eye comfortable.
We assess your tear film quality and quantity, check your meibomian glands and meibum quality, evaluate your cornea, and talk to you about your symptoms and daily routine. This is how we build a treatment plan that actually targets your dry eye, not someone else's.
Treatment options
There is no one-size-fits-all treatment for dry eye. Based on what we find during your assessment, your plan may include one or a combination of the following.
Warm Compresses & Lid Hygiene
Heat therapy and lid scrubs to improve oil gland function and keep the eyelids clean.
Meibomian Gland Expression
In-practice manual expression to clear blocked oil glands and improve tear film stability.
Eyelid Debridement & Cleanse
Removal of debris and build-up along the lid margin to support healthier gland function.
Lubricant Drops & Gels
Targeted lubricants matched to your tear film type, not just off-the-shelf drops.
Anti-inflammatory Drops
Prescription drops to reduce inflammation contributing to tear gland underperformance.
Punctal Plugs
Small plugs inserted into the tear drainage channels to help your eyes retain more of their natural tears.
Omega-3 Supplementation
Evidence-based dietary guidance to support tear film quality from within.
Frequently asked questions
Call (03) 9361 2777 before booking to ask about the assessment fee and any applicable rebate. Treatment costs depend on the plan discussed at your visit. We explain any costs before proceeding.
Bring your current eye drops, contact lenses and a list of medications, and note when your symptoms are most noticeable. Follow-up is arranged around your plan so we can review your symptoms, eye surface and response to care. The timing depends on the findings and treatment discussed at your assessment.
Dry eye is usually a tear film problem rather than a simple lack of tears. The most common cause is blocked oil glands in the eyelids, which lets the tear film evaporate too quickly. Screen use, contact lens wear, some medications, hormonal changes, and the environment can all contribute. Finding which of these applies to you is the point of the assessment.
Watery eyes are one of the more confusing signs of dry eye. When the surface of the eye is irritated, it can trigger a reflex flood of tears. Those reflex tears are watery and drain away quickly, so they do not settle the underlying dryness. Persistent watering is worth having looked at rather than treating with more drops.
Lubricating drops can ease symptoms, but they treat the discomfort rather than the cause, which is why relief from them is often short-lived. A dry eye assessment identifies what is driving your symptoms so treatment can be matched to it, whether that is gland function, inflammation, lid hygiene, or tear drainage.
We look at the quality and stability of your tear film, examine the eyelid margins and oil glands, and review your symptoms, screen habits, medications, and general health. From there we discuss which treatments are likely to help and in what order, and we explain any costs before proceeding.
Dry eye is generally managed rather than cured, and most approaches work gradually. Treatments that target gland function usually need consistent use over several weeks before the difference is clear. We will set expectations for your particular situation at the assessment and review your progress at follow-up.
Often yes. Dryness is a common reason people become uncomfortable in lenses, but it can frequently be improved by treating the underlying cause, changing the lens material or replacement schedule, or adjusting wearing time. If you are struggling in your current lenses, bring them to the assessment.
Written by Dr Steven Vu, BVisSc MOptom, optometrist at Westside Eyecare, Deer Park. Last updated 23 September 2026. This page is general information, not a substitute for a consultation.
Ready to get to the bottom of your dry eye?
Book an assessment and find out what's really going on.