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Abra & Co

Eyelid before treatment: crusts and debris at the lashesBefore
The same eyelid after one EyeClean session: clean lashesAfter one session

Blepharitis treatment in Manchester, Cheshire & West YorkshireCalm, clean eyelids.

Without the itching and crusts.

Book a free 20-minute consultation

★★★★★ 4.9 from 600+ Google reviews

Our experienced dry eye optometrists deep-clean your lid edges with BlephEx, clear the oil glands, and treat the bacteria and mites that keep it coming back. Treatment can start the same day.

Book a free 20-minute consultationNot sure? Free 10-minute call

Do I need an assessment first? No. Every treatment starts with a free consultation with your optometrist. Mites, rosacea or had it for years? EyeRelief Max is built for that.

Tap Book to see the next free times at your practice · See all treatments and prices

At all five practices: Cheadle, Heald Green, Middleton, Winsford and Heckmondwike.

What blepharitis is

Inflamed eyelid edges, and why they itch.

Blepharitis means the edges of your eyelids are inflamed. It usually affects two places, and most people have both:

The front: your lashes

Bacteria and debris build up along the lash line, often with tiny mites called Demodex that live in the lash roots. You get crusts, flakes, itching and red rims, often worst in the morning.

The back: your oil glands

The oil glands just behind the lashes block (meibomian gland dysfunction, MGD), so your tears dry out: gritty, burning, tired eyes. About MGD →

What is BlephEx?

A deep clean of the lid edge

A small, soft spinning sponge that your optometrist runs along the lash line with a cleansing solution. It lifts the crusts, bacteria and sticky film that wipes and baby shampoo leave behind. Most people say it tickles.

What is blue light therapy?

For the bacteria and mites

A mask of blue light over closed eyes for about 15 minutes. It targets the bacteria and mites along the lash line. Painless, nothing touches the eye, safe for every skin type, and at all five practices.

Book a free 20-minute consultationFree 10-min call with an optometrist
Eyelash mites (Demodex)

Tiny mites are a common cause.

Demodex are microscopic mites that live in the roots of your eyelashes. Almost everyone has some, and they become more common with age: around 84% of people at 60, and nearly everyone over 70. When their numbers build up, the lid edges turn itchy and red, and crusty “collars” form around the base of the lashes.

We look for them under magnification at your consultation. If they’re there, a BlephEx deep clean clears the lid edges, and blue light targets the mites and bacteria that remain.

The science · How blue light targets bacteria and mites

Blue light (around 405 to 470 nanometres) breaks down bacteria by activating natural compounds inside them. In laboratory studies, bacteria did not become resistant to it, even after repeated exposure.

For blepharitis, it’s used as low-level light therapy: a soft mask over closed eyes, combined with red light and IPL. In a study of patients with stubborn Demodex blepharitis at a UK optometry practice, IPL with 12 minutes of blue and 12 minutes of red light reduced mites in about two in three eyes, and symptom scores fell from 12.0 to 7.8, with no side effects.

The research is still young. Blue light works best as part of a combined treatment, not on its own, which is how we use it.

Red light (LLLT) calms inflammation in the lids, helps the glands regenerate and warms them slightly. Painless, nothing touches the eye, and safe for every skin type.

Book a free 20-minute consultationFree 10-min call with an optometrist
Tried wipes, tea tree or warm compresses?

They help, but they can’t reach the cause.

They help keep the lids clean day to day, but they can’t clear blocked glands or the build-up deep along the lash line. That’s what an in-clinic deep clean does, and your home care keeps it working afterwards.

Book a free 20-minute consultationFree 10-min call with an optometrist
Our treatment programmes

Three programmes. Pick the one that matches how bad it is.

Built by us since 2017, from the latest research. Your assessment confirms which one fits.

Mild, fairly recent. Gritty eyes or crusty lashesEyeCleanA first step · 3 visits£480
Mild to severe. Burning, red lids, keeps coming back, drops don’t helpEyeRelief (IPL)Most people start hereAbout 3 months£900
Severe or long-standing. Needs care over a longer timeEyeRelief Max (IPL)About 6 months£1,495

Why most people choose EyeRelief

EyeClean clears your blocked glands. EyeRelief does that too, and treats why they keep blocking. Each visit, in one chair:

  1. IPL (intense pulsed light) melts the oil deep in the glands and calms the inflamed vessels along the lid
  2. Low-level light therapy (LLLT), a red light mask that calms inflammation in the lids, helps the glands regenerate and warms them slightly
  3. Blephasteam warm steam goggles soften what’s left
  4. Every gland cleared by hand (gland expression)

A good first step for mild dry eye: gritty or tired eyes and crusty lashes that haven’t been going on for long.

The EyeClean Programme

3 visits, about 30 minutes each

  • Each visit: Blephasteam warm steam goggles soften the hardened oil, your optometrist clears every gland by hand, then a BlephEx deep clean of your lid edges
  • Home kit to keep it going between visits
  • Follow-up: your tests repeated, so you see the change in numbers
  • Add red light at every visit: +£95

£480

or £240 today and £240 at your next visit

Book EyeClean

Book it straight in. Your first visit starts with a free consultation with your optometrist, and if it isn’t right for you, we tell you before anything starts.

Most recommended

For mild to severe dry eye: burning, red lids, eyes that keep going back to how they were, drops that don’t help.

EyeRelief (IPL)

About 3 months

  • 4 IPL visits, two weeks apart, about 75 minutes each
  • Each visit: IPL, then red light therapy (LLLT), then Blephasteam warm steam goggles, then every gland cleared by hand
  • Plus one full EyeClean visit and a home kit
  • Follow-up at the end of treatment

IPL is at all five practices.

£900

or £450 today and £450 at your next visit

Tap Book to see the next free times at your practice

Book EyeRelief

Your first visit starts with a free consultation with your optometrist, and if it isn’t right for you, we tell you before anything starts.

Do I need an assessment first? No. Your first visit starts with a free consultation. Glands that stay blocked shrink, and they don’t grow back, so there’s no reason to wait.

Not sure what you have? Start with the assessment (£145)

For severe or long-standing dry eye that needs care over a longer time, including blepharitis, mites and rosacea.

EyeRelief Max (IPL)

About 6 months

  • 5 IPL visits: IPL, red light therapy (LLLT), Blephasteam and every gland cleared by hand, plus blue light when your optometrist decides it’s needed for bacteria and mites
  • 4 EyeClean visits, one a month, lid edges cleaned each time
  • Home kit and a follow-up at six months

£1,495

or £747 today and £748 at your next visit

Book EyeRelief Max

Your first visit starts with a free consultation with your optometrist, and if it isn’t right for you, we tell you before anything starts.

Or start with the assessment (£145) · talk to an optometrist first

£50 of your assessment comes off whichever programme you choose. As we go, your optometrist may change the mix in your favour, never at extra cost.

Other treatments, if your plan needs them

Other treatments, if your plan needs them

Your optometrist adds these when your assessment shows they’ll help.

Not enough tears: punctal plugs or LacrifillTiny plugs or a gel slow the drainage, so your own tears stay on the eye for longer. Added once your lids are calm. At all five practices.Plugs £320 a pair · Lacrifill £520
A damaged eye surface: amniotic membrane lensA soft lens made from natural healing tissue, worn for a few days to help the surface heal.£950
Watery eyes: lacrimal syringingA gentle rinse of the tear drainage channel, to check it’s open and flowing.Ask us
Drops and home careThe right drops for your type, a heat mask, lid wipes and a routine that fits your day.Home Plan kit £65
Prescription drops or an eye doctorWe don’t prescribe ourselves. If you need a prescription drop, we write to your GP with your results. If you need an ophthalmologist, for example for Sjögren’s, we refer you.Part of your assessment
See the full price list

Full price list

Getting started

Free 10-minute callTalk to an optometrist before you book anything.
Free
Dry Eye Assessment, 30 minutesYour tears, eye surface, lashes and lids checked, and a written plan.
£145
Full Dry Eye Assessment, 45 minutesThe complete picture: your tears, eye surface, lashes and lids, every oil gland photographed with infrared, and an inflammation test. You leave with a written plan.
£225
£50 towards your treatmentFrom your assessment fee, if you go ahead now or later.
−£50

Treatment programmes

EyeClean Programme3 EyeClean visits, home kit and follow-up. For mild dry eye and blepharitis.
£480
EyeRelief Programme (most recommended)4 IPL visits with red light and gland clearing, 1 EyeClean, home kit and follow-up. For moderate dry eye, blocked glands and red lids.
£900
EyeRelief Max Programme5 IPL visits with red light (and blue light when needed), 4 EyeClean visits one a month, home kit and a 6-month follow-up. For severe or long-standing dry eye, blepharitis, mites or rosacea.
£1,495
Add red light to EyeCleanLow-level red light at every EyeClean visit, to calm inflammation, help the glands regenerate and warm them slightly.
+£95
Add red and blue light to EyeCleanAlso treats the bacteria and mites of blepharitis.
+£180

Single sessions

EyeClean sessionWarm mask, BlephEx lid clean and every gland cleared. A top-up after a programme.
£195
IPL sessionOne IPL visit with red light and gland clearing. All five practices.
£295
Red and blue light sessionOne visit: low-level red light to calm inflammation and help the glands regenerate, then blue light for the bacteria and mites of blepharitis. About 30 minutes.
£95

Not enough tears, or a damaged eye surface

Lacrifill gel, both eyesSlows tear drainage so your own tears stay on the eye longer.
£520
Punctal plugs, a pairTiny plugs in the tear drains, for the same reason.
£320
Amniotic membrane contact lensNatural healing tissue, worn for a few days to help a damaged surface heal.
£950

At home and afterwards

Home Plan kitHeat mask, lid wipes and the drops that suit your type.
£65
Yearly re-assessment, 45 minutesChecks your eyes are staying well, and catches any change early.
£195

Pay in full, or half today and half at your next visit. Lacrifill and plugs are added to a treatment once your lids are calm.

Not sure which? Book the assessment (£145)Ask an optometrist. We’ll call you

Why it keeps coming back

Why wipes and baby shampoo don’t fix it.

The bacteria form a sticky film along the lash line that home wipes cannot lift. The mites live inside the lash roots. And the oil glands behind keep blocking. So it settles for a while, then flares again. Rosacea and inflamed lids make it worse.

So we treat all of it: BlephEx removes the film, blue light targets the bacteria and mites, the glands are cleared, and your home routine keeps it calm between visits.

The science · What the research says

Cleaning the lid edge is a first-line treatment in the latest international guidance (TFOS DEWS III), and an in-clinic deep clean removes the build-up that home cleaning leaves behind. When the lids stay inflamed, IPL is recommended too, at all five of our practices. IPL for blepharitis →

See the proof

BlephEx deep clean for blepharitis: clean lid edges in one visit.

See it being done · the 20-second film
Filmed at our Middleton clinic

That thick white paste is the oil that should be in your tears.

It sets like butter in a blocked gland. Warm steam softens it, then gentle pressure clears it. Once it flows again, your tears stop drying out.

Press play if you want to see it. Skip it if you would rather not. Nothing touches the eye itself.

Blocked: oil has set inside the glands
Blocked Oil has set inside the glands
Gentle pressure after warm steam
Gentle pressure After warm steam softens it
Cleared: the trapped oil comes out
Cleared The trapped oil comes out

Eyelid margin before treatment: blocked gland openings and debris at the lash baseThe same lash line, clean, after EyeCleanBeforeAfter

The same eyelid, ten minutes later.

Before: crusty debris round the lashes and blocked gland openings. After: one EyeClean session, in the chair. Drag the line to compare.

Book a free 20-minute consultationFree 10-min call with an optometrist

Sohail Khan and Abra Arshad, directors of Abra & Co
Sohail Khan and Abra Arshad, directors of Abra & Co
We know what this is like

Because I live with it too.

I’m Sohail. I’m an optometrist, and I’ve had dry eye for years.

I know the mornings when your eyes feel full of sand. Reading the same line twice because the words keep going soft. Putting the drops in again, knowing they’ll last ten minutes.

Read the rest of my story

It cost me things, too. I had to stop wearing contact lenses. And I couldn’t have laser eye surgery, because my eyes were too dry.

And I know what it’s like to be told it’s just your age. Try another drop. Wash your lids with baby shampoo. I was told all of that too, and none of it fixed anything.

It isn’t in your head, and you don’t have to put up with it. So in 2017 I started doing things differently, for myself first and then for my patients. We sit down and listen. We show you your own glands on the screen. And we give you an honest plan, written down, that’s yours to keep.

When you come here, you’ll be seen by someone who has the time, and who knows exactly how it feels.

Book a free 20-minute consultationFree 10-min call with an optometrist

How a blepharitis treatment visit works

30 to 75 minutes. Clean lids before you leave.

Blepharitis and MGD usually come together.

Most people with blepharitis also have blocked oil glands, and most people with blocked glands also have inflamed lid edges. So we treat both. Every programme cleans the lid edge and clears the glands. Which visits you have depends on what your eyes need.

EyeClean visit

About 30 minutesAll five practices

  1. Warm steam goggles

    10 minutes of moist heat at about 42°C. The oil that has set in your glands melts.

  2. Every gland expressed

    Your optometrist gently presses each gland clear under magnification. You see the oil come out on the screen.

  3. BlephEx deep clean

    A soft spinning sponge cleans your lid edge and lashes: the crusts, bacteria and film wipes leave behind. It tickles.

Part of: EyeClean, and in EyeRelief and Max

EyeClean with light visit

About 45 minutesAll five practices

  1. Steam, expression and BlephEx

    Everything in an EyeClean visit.

  2. Blue light

    About 15 minutes over closed eyes, for the bacteria and mites along the lash line.

  3. Red light

    Calms the inflamed lids. No flash, safe for every skin.

Part of: EyeClean with red and blue light

IPL visit

About 75 minutesAll five practices

  1. IPL

    About 15 minutes. Eyes shielded, gentle flashes on the skin below the eyes calm the inflamed vessels that keep blocking the glands.

  2. Red light (LLLT)

    About 15 minutes. Calms inflammation, helps the glands regenerate and warms them slightly.

  3. Warm steam goggles

    About 15 minutes. A warm steam towel, then the goggles melt the oil right before it is cleared.

  4. Every gland expressed

    About 30 minutes. Each gland pressed clear while the oil is soft, then cooling aloe vera gel on the lids.

Part of: EyeRelief and EyeRelief Max

How IPL and red light work

What is IPL? Intense pulsed light

Skin doctors first used IPL to treat rosacea, and noticed their patients’ dry eyes got better too. Short flashes of filtered light pass through the skin below your eyes. The light settles the tiny inflamed blood vessels along the lid edge and warms the oil in the glands. It is not a laser, and your eyes are shielded throughout. IPL suits skin types 1 to 4 on the Fitzpatrick scale; on types 5 and 6 (brown to dark brown and Black skin) it can mark the skin.

What is LLLT? Red light therapy

LLLT stands for low-level light therapy, the medical name for red light therapy. A soft mask of red light rests over your closed eyes for about 15 minutes. It calms inflammation in the lids, helps the glands regenerate and warms them slightly. Painless, nothing touches the eye, and it is safe for every skin type. It is part of every IPL visit, and available on its own at all five practices.

Our system is eye-light® by Espansione, made in Italy. It does both, IPL and red light, in one visit, at all five practices.

Does it hurt?

No. BlephEx tickles. Expressing the glands can be uncomfortable for a moment, and we go at your pace.

Is it contagious?

No. Blepharitis cannot be passed on. More about blepharitis →

Afterwards

No downtime. You can drive home and go back to work.

Before your visit

No eye make-up on the day. Tell us about any new medicines.

Your first appointment

See your own glands, and leave with a plan.

45 minutes with an optometrist. We look at your lashes and lid edges under magnification for bacteria and mites, photograph every oil gland, and test for inflammation, so you know exactly what to treat.

Our assessment · £225 · 45 minutes

Essential Dry Eye Assessment

The science · What we measure at the assessment
  • how your eyes feel day to day, and what you have already tried
  • how fast your tears break up, and how much tear water you make
  • safe dyes to show any dry or damaged patches on your eye
  • your lashes and lid edges, for blepharitis and mites
  • every oil gland photographed with infrared, so you see how many are blocked, shortened or lost
  • an inflammation test, which tells us which treatment you need
  • your skin type and medicines, so we know whether IPL is safe for you

You leave knowing exactly what is causing your symptoms, with a written plan, your options and the prices. If nothing rules it out, treatment can start the same day. £50 goes towards your treatment.

Book the dry eye assessment · £145

What our patients say

9 in 10of our patients told us their eyes are more comfortable and their symptoms have improved.

“Patience, caring and so much help. It was the best thing ever I decided to have.”Pat Smith, Middleton

Dry eye is personal. It changes how you work, drive, read and sleep, and most people have been told to put up with it. You will not be told that here. These are the words of our patients, exactly as they wrote them.

Read more of our patients’ words

“I had the blepharitis treatment. Everything was properly explained and great care was taken to carry out the procedure. Plenty of time was taken during my appointment to put me at ease. All the staff are cheerful, helpful and welcoming. Can’t thank them all enough for an excellent experience.”

Stephanie Taylor · Middleton

“Patience, caring and so much help during the time I was having the Dry Eye Treatment Programme. It was the best thing ever I decided to have, in between and after my cataract surgery. I would highly recommend it. With all my treatment from starting to finishing it, wow. Just to say to each and every one of you, a massive thank you. You all were the very best.”

Pat Smith · Middleton

“Everyone is very attentive and caring and I have had positive results from my treatments.”

Tim Baker · Middleton

“Helpful and friendly. I had complete confidence in your actions and guidance.“

Carla Reuben

“Excellent service, extremely helpful staff. Thanks for all you have done for me, I am very grateful. A special thanks to optometrist Lara and dispenser Emily, you are a great team!”

Mr P E Garo-Jones

“I was told by two other opticians that it was just dry eye and there was nothing to be done. The imaging showed me exactly what was wrong. Seeing my blocked glands on the screen made it all make sense.“

Cheadle patient

9 in 10 EyeClean patients improved. 4.9 stars from more than 600 reviews.

Book a free 20-minute consultationFree 10-min call with an optometrist

Book

Choose your nearest practice.

Every practice does the Essential assessment, EyeClean, red and blue light, and punctal plugs. IPL is at all five practices. We see patients from Stockport, Cheadle Hulme, Gatley, Wythenshawe, Didsbury, Rochdale, Heywood, Oldham, Bury, Northwich, Middlewich, Dewsbury and Batley.

Book online any time, or call us Monday to Friday 9am to 5:30pm (Cheadle also Saturday 9am to 3pm). Outside those hours, the number offers to ring you back when we open.

Sudden or severe symptoms? Don’t wait for a dry eye appointment.
Severe eye pain, sudden loss of vision, a chemical in your eye or an injury needs help today. Call your nearest practice or see our urgent eye care page. Out of hours, call NHS 111, or go to A&E.
At home

What helps at home, and what doesn’t.

What it does Our advice
Lid cleanser or wipes Keeps the lash line clean Every day, from your home kit. It keeps things calm between visits.
Baby shampoo Often suggested It can irritate the skin and does not lift the film. Use a cleanser made for eyelids instead.
Heat mask Softens crusts and the oil in the glands Every day, 10 minutes.
Eye drops Comfort Helpful, but they do not treat the lid edge.
Zest An in-clinic lid clean We do not offer it. We use BlephEx for the same job.
Questions

Blepharitis: frequently asked questions

Will blepharitis go away?

Blepharitis is a long-term condition, and it rarely goes away completely. With the lid edges deep-cleaned, the glands cleared and a simple home routine, most people’s symptoms improve a great deal.

Is blepharitis contagious?

No. It cannot be passed on to anyone else.

What is BlephEx, and does it hurt?

A soft spinning sponge that deep-cleans the lid edge and lash line. It does not hurt; most people say it tickles. It is part of every EyeClean visit.

How much is BlephEx treatment?

BlephEx is part of every EyeClean visit: £195 for a single visit, or £480 for the 3-visit EyeClean Programme. It starts with a free consultation. If you would like everything measured first, the dry eye assessment is £145 (£225 with gland photographs), and £50 of either goes towards your programme.

How many visits will I need?

Most people have 3 visits over 6 to 8 weeks, plus a follow-up. Long-standing blepharitis with rosacea has more, in EyeRelief Max.

What about Demodex mites?

We look for them at your assessment. BlephEx clears the lash line, and blue light targets the mites and bacteria. Your home kit keeps them down between visits.

Can IPL help blepharitis?

Yes, when the lids stay inflamed or you have rosacea. IPL is part of EyeRelief and EyeRelief Max, at all five practices. About IPL →

Do you offer Zest?

No. We use BlephEx, which does the same job: a deep clean of the lid edge in clinic.

Do I need a dermatologist?

Usually not. If your skin is involved, such as rosacea on the face, or you need a prescription, we write to your GP with your results.

I keep getting styes. Is that blepharitis?

Often, yes. Repeated styes and chalazia usually come from blocked, inflamed lid glands. Stye or chalazion? →

Where can I have it?

At all five of our practices. IPL is at all five practices.

Still have a question? Talk it through with one of our optometrists first. It’s free, takes 10 minutes, and there’s no obligation to book.

Book a free 10-min call

Want to understand it first? Our guides
Learn about dry eye

Want to understand it first?

Plain guides written by our optometrists: what is going on, what you can do yourself, and when you need us.

All our dry eye guides, in order →

What’s the best treatment for blepharitis?

The one that fits your cause. For most people that’s a deep clean of the lid edges (BlephEx) to clear the crusts and bacteria, clearing the oil glands if they’re blocked, and light therapy if it keeps coming back: blue light for mites and bacteria, red light to calm the inflammation, and IPL for inflamed lid edges. Home care keeps it under control between visits.

Can blepharitis be cured?

It usually can’t be cured for good, but it can be controlled, so your eyes stay calm and comfortable. Treating it early stops the oil glands from shrinking.

Do I need antibiotics?

Sometimes. If there’s an infection or severe inflammation, your optometrist may recommend antibiotic or anti-inflammatory treatment, and refers you to your GP or an eye doctor when needed.

Can blepharitis cause blindness?

No, blepharitis doesn’t cause blindness. Left untreated it can irritate and damage the surface of the eye, so it’s worth treating.

Can blepharitis cause blurred or double vision?

It can make vision blur on and off, because the tear film becomes unstable. Blinking often clears it. If blurring doesn’t clear, or you see double, get your eyes checked.

Calm, clean eyelids. Let’s get you there.

Choose your treatment · from £480 Not sure which? Book the dry eye assessment (£145) Or book a free 10-minute call with an optometrist

Have a question?

We’ll call you back.

An optometrist rings you at the time you choose, evenings too.

We only use your number to call you about your eyes. No marketing.