Dry eye clinic · West Yorkshire, at Heckmondwike
Dry eye clinic for West Yorkshire
One clinic in the middle of the county photographs the oil glands in your eyelids, tells you plainly whether they are blocked, and treats them. Leeds, Wakefield, Huddersfield, Bradford and Halifax are all within half an hour of it. No referral, and treatment within the week.
Does this sound like your eyes?
If three of these are you, it is almost certainly your glands. And that is treatable.
- “I have been on a hospital waiting list for my eyes and I am still using drops.”
- “My eyes are fine in the morning and gritty by four o’clock.”
- “They water for no reason, in the wind on the moors, in the car, in the supermarket.”
- “Drops help for ten minutes and then it is back.”
- “The screen goes blurry, then clears when I blink.”
- “I quietly gave up my contact lenses because they stopped being comfortable.”
- “They sting at night and I wake with them stuck.”
- “I was told it is just age, or the menopause, or something I have to live with.”
None of this is in your head, and none of it is something you have to live with. It has a cause, the cause can be photographed, and once you have seen it, the rest makes sense.
“This is the first time anybody has mentioned the problems with dry eyes, which I have had for a number of years. I was advised how it occurs, what causes the problem and given a course of action.”
What is actually happening
Across West Yorkshire the story is the same: blocked glands, not a lack of tears.
- Think of the tear film as water with a lid on it. The lid is oil, and without it the water evaporates between blinks.
- The oil is squeezed from glands inside your eyelids every time you blink, thirty or so in each lid, unseen by almost everyone who has them.
- If the oil sets and the glands block, the water is gone in seconds: dry, gritty, stinging eyes that then water because they are dry.
- No drop and no wipe can open a blocked gland. Clearing the gland is the treatment, and it is done by hand, by the optometrist.
Types of dry eye
The three types of dry eye, and what we do for each
Most people are told “you’ve got dry eyes” and handed drops. But there are three different causes, and each needs something different. Most people have a mix.
Blocked oil glands: meibomian gland dysfunction (MGD)
About 8 in 10 people with dry eye have this. Along the edge of each eyelid are about 30 tiny glands that put a thin layer of oil on your tears. When they block, your tears dry up in seconds, however much water your eyes make. It feels gritty, burning and tired, often worse on screens or by evening. Drops help for an hour, because they don’t unblock the glands.
What we do: photograph your glands so you can see them, warm and clear them in clinic, clean the lid edge, and use IPL or light therapy where it helps (IPL at our Cheadle and Middleton clinics). Then we give you a simple routine for home.
Not enough tears
Your eyes don’t make enough of the watery part of tears. This is more common with age, some medicines, the menopause, and conditions like Sjögren’s.
What we do: measure your tear level, choose the right drops for you, and use tiny plugs to keep your own tears in where they help. We’ll write to your GP if something needs checking.
Inflamed eyelids: blepharitis, often with tiny mites called Demodex
Crusty, itchy, red lid edges, often worse in the morning.
What we do: deep-clean the lid edge in clinic, treat the mites, and show you how to keep the lids clean at home.
Not sure which one you have? That’s what the assessment is for. We look at your glands, tears and lids, and tell you which type, or which mix.
Three ways to start
Three ways to start. Pick the one that fits where you are.
Know the treatment you want? Book it. Want to know what is wrong first? Book the assessment. Have questions? Your optometrist rings you back. Nothing here commits you to anything.
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You know the treatment you wantBook it onlineEyeClean £480 · EyeRelief £900 · EyeRelief Max £1,495. We check your eyes at the first visit before anything starts.
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You want to know what is wrong firstDry Eye Assessment, £145 · 30 minEvery core test in one visit, plan on paper
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You have questionsA call-back from your optometristLeave your number and your optometrist rings you back, usually the same day. No fee, no commitment.
Inflamed lids or blepharitis? Book the Full Dry Eye Assessment, £225. Started with the £145 assessment? It upgrades on the day.
Treatment available within the week. Have your assessment and start treatment the same day, where we can.
Gland Scan: £15 with any eye examination (included in our Gold eye examination). Either assessment earns £50 off treatment. See exactly what is in each one → · Or take the sixty-second check.
Arrange a call-back with your optometrist
Leave your number. Your optometrist rings you, usually the same day. No fee, no commitment.
Inside the assessment
What the assessment measures
- You, scored and understood: the six symptom questions, your screen hours and blink, your lids and surface under the microscope.
- Your tears, measured: how much, how long they hold, and the marks left on the surface.
- The cause, found: lid edge and lashes checked, blink watched, and in the full assessment the glands photographed and inflammation tested. Results against healthy, a type, a plan.
Priced at £145, or £225 including the inflammation test, with £50 credited to any treatment. Read the whole protocol →
The first appointment
What happens, in short
- Measurements first. Tear break-up time, tear volume and surface staining, so the plan rests on numbers, not guesses.
- A plain answer and a written plan. Your options and their prices, with £50 of the fee set against treatment.
- No waiting list. Treatment is available within the week, often on the day.
Treatment
How we treat dry eye from Heckmondwike
The assessment decides the treatment, not a menu. These are the three courses and what they cost, so nothing is a surprise. £50 of your assessment comes off whichever you choose. Pay in full, or half today and half at your next visit.
Treatment available within the week. Have your assessment and start treatment the same day, where we can.
- EyeClean £480 glands cleared by hand over three sessions
- EyeRelief (most recommended) £900 IPL, red light and expression, four times, plus EyeClean
- EyeRelief Max £1,495 IPL with red and blue light, five sessions, and four EyeClean
- Plugs · Lacrifill £320 · £520 plugs or a gel in the tear duct
Single sessions: EyeClean £195 · IPL £295. IPL is at our Middleton and Cheadle practices. The other practices refer to them.
Read what each level actually involves → · Prices, all on one page →
Where in West Yorkshire our patients come from, and how to get here
One clinic, the whole county
Armitage Opticians is on Market Street in Heckmondwike, in the middle of the Spen Valley, two minutes from junction 26 of the M62 and with parking outside the door. It is the dry eye clinic for West Yorkshire: the gland imaging, the assessment, EyeClean, plugs and Lacrifill all happen here, and light treatment is arranged with your results sent ahead.
Leeds
Twenty-five minutes down the M621 and M62. The Leeds page →
Wakefield
Twenty minutes on the M62 to junction 26, or the 126 and 127 buses. The Wakefield page →
Dewsbury, Batley, Mirfield
Ten minutes on the A638 or the 229. The Dewsbury page →
Huddersfield
Twenty minutes up the A62 through Mirfield. The Huddersfield page →
Bradford, Keighley, Halifax
Twenty-five to thirty-five minutes on the M606 and M62. The Bradford and Keighley page →
Cleckheaton, Liversedge, Gomersal, Birstall
On the doorstep. Walk in, or the 254.
If you are under the eye department at Pinderfields, Dewsbury, Huddersfield Royal, Calderdale or St James’s, tell us who you are under and we will write to them. Many patients use us while they wait, and some are discharged back to us for ongoing care.
Reviews
What people in Heckmondwike say
4.9★★★★★
G 133 Google reviews of the Heckmondwike practice
“Excellent service. Very professional .sohail and James were really friendly and professional. First rate service as always. I even got offered a cuppa!”Anthony Ingham · Google review · November 2024 · Middleton
“The refurbished premises are very smart and calming. The staff were excellent and very thorough. Everyone took their time to explain everything so that I could easily understand. 5 stars 😊”Bebs Whitham · Google review · November 2024 · Middleton
“Very thorough eye test and so helpful with choosing the correct lenses and frames to suit my needs.”Kim Kersley · Google review · November 2024 · Middleton
Book
Book at Armitage Opticians — Heckmondwike
Wherever in West Yorkshire you are coming from, every Book button on this page books Armitage Opticians in Heckmondwike.
Say where you are travelling from when you book and we put the assessment and the first treatment into the same visit.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a dry eye clinic near me in West Yorkshire?
Yes, in Heckmondwike, in the middle of the county: twenty-five minutes from Leeds, twenty from Wakefield and Huddersfield, ten from Dewsbury, thirty from Bradford. Gland imaging, the assessment and every treatment except light happen here, and light is arranged with your results sent ahead.
Do I need a referral from my GP or the hospital?
No. Book directly, online or by phone. If you are under a hospital eye department, tell us and we will write to them.
Which assessment should I book?
Most people start with the Dry Eye Assessment, £145. If your lids are inflamed or the optometrist recommends it, book the Full Dry Eye Assessment and get everything in one visit: the measurements, the gland photographs, each result against healthy and a written plan, with £50 of the fee held against treatment.
Does the NHS cover it?
No. An NHS sight test covers vision and eye health, and does not include gland imaging or dry eye treatment. Every price is shown before you decide, and treatment is available within the week.
Can the assessment and the first treatment be one visit?
Yes, ask when you book. For anyone travelling across the county we put them together as a matter of course.
Where do I park in Heckmondwike?
On Market Street outside the practice, and at the Green car park two minutes away. Junction 26 of the M62 is two minutes by car.