Calm, clean eyelids, without the itching and crusts.
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.
★★★★★ 4.9 from 600+ Google reviews
At all five practices: Cheadle, Heald Green, Middleton, Winsford and Heckmondwike.
Blepharitis means the edges of your eyelids are inflamed. It usually affects two places, and most people have both:
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 oil glands just behind the lashes block (meibomian gland dysfunction, MGD), so your tears dry out: gritty, burning, tired eyes. About MGD →
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.
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.
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.
10 minutes of moist heat at about 42°C. The oil that has set in your glands melts.
Your optometrist gently presses each gland clear under magnification. You see the oil come out on the screen.
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
Everything in an EyeClean visit.
About 15 minutes over closed eyes, for the bacteria and mites along the lash line.
Calms the inflamed lids. No flash, safe for every skin.
Part of: EyeClean with red and blue light
About 15 minutes. Eyes shielded, gentle flashes on the skin below the eyes calm the inflamed vessels that keep blocking the glands.
15 to 20 minutes. Warms the glands from inside and calms the lids.
10 minutes. Melts the oil right before it is cleared.
Each gland pressed clear while the oil is soft.
Part of: EyeRelief and EyeRelief Max
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 is not suitable for brown or darker skin.
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 gently warms the glands from the inside so the oil softens, and calms inflamed lids. 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 of our practices.
Our system is eye-light® by Espansione, made in Italy. It does both, IPL and red light, in one visit, at Cheadle and Middleton.
No. BlephEx tickles. Expressing the glands can be uncomfortable for a moment, and we go at your pace.
No. Blepharitis cannot be passed on. More about blepharitis →
No downtime. You can drive home and go back to work.
No eye make-up on the day. Tell us about any new medicines.
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.
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 our Cheadle and Middleton clinics. IPL for blepharitis →
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.
BeforeAfterBefore: crusty debris round the lashes and blocked gland openings. After: one EyeClean session, in the chair. Drag the line to compare.
I’m Sohail, one of the two directors here, and I have had dry eye for years. Contact lenses that dried out by lunchtime. Gritty eyes, vision that comes and goes until you blink it clear, drops that buy you ten minutes, and the frustration that builds when none of it changes. And every time I asked, the same standard answers: baby shampoo on the lids, try these drops, it’s just your age.
It is not in your head. It is not a small thing. And it is not something you have to put up with. In 2017 I decided to work out a proper solution, for myself and for my patients, and that is why we built this clinic the way we did: time to listen, your own eyes on the screen so you can see what we see, and a plan written down for you to keep.
You will be looked after here. By an optometrist who has the time, who has treated hundreds of people like you, and who knows how it feels from the inside.
Our treatment protocols are our own. They are built on the latest international research (TFOS DEWS III) and refined over hundreds of patients. 9 in 10 EyeClean patients told us their eyes improved.
We do not hand you drops and a leaflet. We take time to understand what you are going through and how it affects your life. We find your cause, build a plan around you, then guide you and manage your care, from your first visit to your follow-up.
We look at your lashes and lid edges under magnification for bacteria and mites, photograph every oil gland and test for inflammation. If nothing rules it out, your first treatment can be the same day. £50 of the fee goes towards your programme.
3 visits: warm steam, every gland expressed and a BlephEx deep clean, with blue and red light if you need them.
Your lids and glands checked again, and your symptom score compared with your first visit. If you have not improved, your next session is free.
Daily lid cleaning and a heat mask from your home kit, a yearly check (£195), and a single EyeClean visit (£195) if it flares again.
Blepharitis is a long-term condition. It rarely goes away completely, but it can be managed, and your symptoms can be greatly improved. Our job is to get your lids calm and clean, and then keep them that way, with you.
We developed each programme ourselves, from the latest international research (TFOS DEWS III) and what we have seen work in hundreds of patients since 2017. Already made up your mind? Book your treatment directly. You don’t need a separate assessment: your optometrist checks your eyes at the start of your first visit. Not sure which suits you? Book the Essential assessment first, and we tell you. Everything listed is included in the price.
We listen first, choose your treatment with you, and only suggest what will help. Then we stay with you until your eyes feel better.
Mild blepharitis: crusts and itching, now and then. Our lowest-cost programme.
or £240 today, £240 at your next visit
Home kit included. No IPL.
Blepharitis on its own that keeps coming back: bacteria or mites, lids not inflamed
or £330 today, £330 at your next visit
No flash, safe for every skin. Home kit included. At all five practices.
Blepharitis with dry eye: red or burning lids, glands that keep blocking
or £450 today, £450 at your next visit
No BlephEx at the IPL visits. Home kit included. IPL at Cheadle and Middleton.
Long-standing blepharitis with rosacea, or mites that keep coming back
or £747 today, £748 at your next visit
EyeRelief, extended.
Home kit included. IPL at Cheadle and Middleton.
Not sure which step you are? Your optometrist looks at your lashes, lids and glands at your first visit and tells you.
Had an assessment with us first? £50 of the fee goes towards your programme. Pay in full, or half today and half at your next visit. A single EyeClean visit is £195 and a single IPL visit £295, the top-ups if you need a little more at your follow-up.
Questions first? Book a free 10-minute call with an optometrist
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.
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.
“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.
“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 online any time, or call us Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm. Outside those hours, the number offers to ring you back when we open.
IPL clinic
Abra & Co · 19 Wilmslow Road, Cheadle SK8 1DW
Also for Stockport, Didsbury, Bramhall and Wilmslow. Free parking.
Or call 0161 428 3717 · Practice page · Directions
IPL clinic
Abra & Co · 36 Long Street, Middleton M24 6UQ
Also for Rochdale, Oldham, Bury and Prestwich.
Or call 0161 653 0771 · Practice page · Directions
Ashworth Opticians · 214 Finney Lane, Heald Green SK8 3QA
Also for Gatley, Wythenshawe and Sale.
Or call 0161 437 3400 · Practice page · Directions
Winsford Eye & Footcare · 27 Delamere Street, Winsford CW7 2LX
Also for Northwich, Middlewich and Crewe.
Or call 01606 599030 · Practice page · Directions
Armitage Opticians · 14 Market Street, Heckmondwike WF16 0JU
Also for Dewsbury, Batley, Leeds and Wakefield.
Or call 01924 403617 · Practice page · Directions
| 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. |
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.
No. It cannot be passed on to anyone else.
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.
BlephEx is part of every EyeClean visit: £195 for a single visit, or £480 for the 3-visit EyeClean Programme. It starts with the Essential assessment, £225, and £50 of that goes towards your programme.
Most people have 3 visits plus a follow-up, over about 3 months. Long-standing blepharitis with rosacea has more, in EyeRelief Max.
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.
Yes, when the lids stay inflamed or you have rosacea. IPL is part of EyeRelief and EyeRelief Max, at Cheadle and Middleton. About IPL →
No. We use BlephEx, which does the same job: a deep clean of the lid edge in clinic.
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.
Often, yes. Repeated styes and chalazia usually come from blocked, inflamed lid glands. Stye or chalazion? →
At all five of our practices. IPL is at Cheadle and Middleton.
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.
Choose your treatment · from £480 Not sure which? Book the Essential assessment (£225) Or book a free 10-minute call with an optometrist
