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Dry Eyes Treatment

Dry Eyes Treatment

How Can I Treat Dry Eyes?

Having dry eyes can be annoying and frustrating.  So, here’s a helpful list of the different treatments available to treat dry eyes.  The treatment option you choose depends on what’s causing your dry eyes, the severity of your symptoms, and your personal preferences.  Read on to find out more about dry eyes treatments including acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Dry Eyes Treatment

Medications:

There are many different medications to help you treat dry eyes.  However, the medication you take will depend on what’s causing your dry eyes.  In some cases, you may already be taking medication for another condition, and that medication could be causing your dry eyes.  So, your doctor may recommend that you switch to a different medication.

You may also wish to take medication to treat dry eyes directly.  A common option is eye drops or artificial tears, which moisten your eyes.  You could also try ointments which are more effective for coating your eyes.  But these ointments can make your vision cloudy, so it’s best to use them before going to bed.

If your symptoms are caused by lack of oil in your tears, your doctor may prescribe antibiotics or anti-inflammatory medications.  Some antibiotics can help to promote oil production, while anti-inflammatory medications target swollen eyelids which can block the path of oil from your oil glands to your eyes.

dry eyes treatment

Procedures:

If normal eye drops don’t work for you, you could also try inserts.  These small clear tubes are inserted between your eyeball and lower eyelid and release medication to keep your eyes moist throughout the day.

There are also several procedures you can have done to help treat dry eyes.  These include clearing blocked oil glands through LipiFlow thermal pulsation and blocking your tear ducts so that tears cannot drain away from your eyes.  You can also get special contact lenses that help to keep your eyes moist.

Natural Remedies and Lifestyle Changes:

Aside from the hassle of taking medications and or having procedures done, you might find some relief through simple home remedies.  For example, placing a warm, damp cloth over your eyes for five minutes can help to soothe dry eyes for some people.  Similarly, drinking enough water, avoiding smoky environments, and wearing sunglasses can also help to reduce dry eyes.  If you spend a lot of time in a room with dry air, it might be possible to get a cool mist humidifier.

Intense Pulsed Light Treatment:

Another option for treating dry eyes is intense pulsed light (IPL) treatment.  This therapy can be effective for treating dry eyes, and one study even found that, “93% of patients reported post-treatment satisfaction with degree of dry eye syndrome symptoms.”

Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture:

If you’re looking for a treatment for dry eyes but without the risk of harmful side effects that come with most medications and procedures, come along to Centre of Balance!   In our clinics, our professional, qualified practitioners use techniques from Traditional Chinese Medicine to help get you back into shape.  These techniques include acupuncture, acupressure, and Chinese herbal medicines, which are natural and have very low risks of side effects.

Dry Eyes Treatment

Acupuncture is especially effective for treating dry eyes.  This is because it addresses the underlying cause of symptoms like dry eyes, which promotes a holistic, long-term solution.  Researchers have found that, “Acupuncture may have benefits on the mid-term outcomes related to dry eye syndrome compared with artificial tears.” 

In more depth, this study also showed that, “In addition, the improvement of OSDI [ocular surface disease index] was sustained until 8 weeks after treatment in the acupuncture group, but not in the artificial tears group. Furthermore, fewer patients visited ophthalmic clinics to manage dry eye symptoms in the acupuncture treatment group during the follow-up period. Apart from these subjective outcomes, TFBUT [tear film break-up time] (which objectively reflects the stability of pre-corneal tear film) showed significant improvement in the acupuncture group.”

To find out more about Chinese Medicine and eye problems, click here.

For more information about how Chinese Medicine can help you, click here

Conclusion:

There are many treatments available to treat dry eyes.  These range from medication and procedures to natural remedies, lifestyle changes, and therapies like intense pulsed light treatment.  However, Chinese Medicine is a superior treatment option, as it presents only a very low risk of side effects, while producing long-term effective healing results.

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References:

Centre of Balance: Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine (n.d.). Archive for category: Acupuncture for Eye Problems. https://balancetcm.co.nz/category/acupuncture-for-eye-problems/

Centre of Balance: Acupuncture & Chinese Medicine (n.d.).  Would You Like to Experience More Energy, & Less Stress & Pain? https://balancetcm.co.nz/

Kim, T. H., Kang, J. W., Kim, K. H., Kang, K. W., Shin, M. S., Jung, S. Y., Kim, A. R., Jung, H. J., Choi, J. B., Hong, K. E., Lee, S. D., & Choi, S. M. (2012). Acupuncture for the treatment of dry eye: a multicenter randomised controlled trial with active comparison intervention (artificial teardrops). PloS One, 7(5), e36638. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0036638 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3355143/

Pearson, S. (2020, August 11). Treatments for Chronic Dry Eye. Healthline. https://www.healthline.com/health/dry-eye/treatments-for-chronic-dry-eye

Toyos, R., McGill, W., & Briscoe, D. (2015). Intense pulsed light treatment for dry eye disease due to meibomian gland dysfunction; a 3-year retrospective study. Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, 33(1), 41–46. https://doi.org/10.1089/pho.2014.3819  https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4298157/

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Monica

I am originally from Hebei province in China. I hold a NZ bachelor’s degree of health and science with a major in acupuncture. I am honoured to be an acupuncturist at Centre of Balance. Helping patients to alleviate their pain brings me the greatest joy. Chinese medicine emphasises the unity of human beings and nature. During the treatment, I hope to not only relieve your pain but also help you to understand the principles behind acupuncture’s effectiveness, as well as the significant impact of diet, emotions, lifestyle habits, and living environments on disease recovery. Self-healing is an ability that our bodies are naturally endowed with.

I studied acupuncture in New Zealand and completed one and a half years of supervised clinical internship before graduating. In the early stage of my training, I mainly worked with patients experiencing neck, shoulder, and lower back pain. Under the guidance of senior clinical tutors, I gradually developed hands-on experience and confidence in treating musculoskeletal pain conditions.
As my clinical exposure expanded, I began treating a wider range of internal conditions. Alongside traditional acupuncture, I was introduced to Umbilical Acupuncture and Tungs-acupuncture Points. What interested me most about these approaches is that they often do not require needling directly at the painful area, yet can still achieve very effective results.
I was especially inspired by observing my supervisor use Umbilical Acupuncture to treat common conditions such as insomnia, menstrual irregularities, and even rheumatoid arthritis, with very positive outcomes. Another supervisor was highly skilled in Tungs-acupuncture Points and achieved excellent results in treating pain, infertility, menstrual disorders, and a variety of women’s health conditions. After completing my studies and entering clinical practice, once I observed Dr. Szenan Phua using Tungs-acupuncture points to help cancer patients relieve pain, which further strengthened my trust in this treatment method.
I later completed training in Dr. Tan Balance Acupuncture, which had a strong influence on the way I approach treatment. One of the most noticeable features of this method is how quickly patients often feel improvement, especially with pain conditions. Dr. Szenan Phua’s New Balance Acupuncture combines meridian regulation with structural adjustment and internal organ balancing, including techniques such as pulse balancing and spinal adjustment.
From my clinical experience, pain is rarely just a local issue. It often involves underlying organ weakness or structural imbalance. When these aspects are addressed together, treatment can be more thorough and longer-lasting. I also apply this approach to internal conditions, particularly in fertility and women’s health. This includes supporting natural conception, IVF preparation and embryo transfer, pregnancy support, early-pregnancy nausea, and late-pregnancy labour induction. I combine these treatments with concepts learned from a few additional fertility training, which has given me a broader and more flexible clinical perspective. This has reinforced my belief that acupuncture should be adapted to each individual rather than applied through fixed formulas.
Two other areas of study that have been very helpful in my clinical work are Tongue Diagnosis and Dr. Zhu’s Scalp Acupuncture. Although tongue diagnosis is taught in my standard Chinese medicine training, further study allowed me to deepen and refine my diagnostic skills.
My first formal training was in Li’s Tongue Diagnosis, which looks not only at organ patterns, but also at how different areas of the tongue reflect the body’s structure. This system also explores personality traits and changes during pregnancy, making it both clinically useful and engaging. I later attended online lectures on Yin’s Tongue Diagnosis and studied the related materials independently. this learning has helped me make clearer and more accurate pattern differentiation, allowing my acupuncture treatments to be more targeted. It covers a wide range of conditions, including skin disorders, oncology-related presentations, mental health patterns, and joint or limb problems. In practice, tongue observation often provides valuable insight even before a patient begins describing their symptoms.
In addition to the methods above, I regularly use local bloodletting techniques, which can be very effective for improving circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain. I also incorporate auricular (ear) acupressure and stimulation, which I commonly use for allergies, insomnia, headaches, stress management, and various internal conditions.
In my clinical work, I value taking the time to listen carefully to each patient and to understand their overall health, lifestyle, and concerns. Based on each individual’s condition, I also provide personalised dietary guidance and lifestyle or wellness advice to support overall health and long-term wellbeing. I commonly support patients with musculoskeletal pain, such as neck, shoulder, knee, and back pain, as well as stress-related conditions, sleep issues, migraines, digestive concerns, and women’s health and fertility-related conditions.