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  • Dry eye treatment: LipiFlow, IPL and what private clinics charge

Dry eye treatment: LipiFlow, IPL and what private clinics charge

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Published on October 11, 2026

We’ll connect you with partner clinics, free of charge: we’re paid for referrals by providers, not by you. Laser eye surgery is a medical procedure and, as with any surgical procedure, carries potential risks and side effects. Results vary and not everyone will be suitable for treatment. You should seek advice from an appropriately qualified healthcare professional before deciding whether treatment is suitable for you.

Start with warm compresses, lid cleaning and pharmacy drops; if blocked oil glands in the eyelids are the cause, private clinics charge £500 to £595 an eye for LipiFlow or £220 to £400 a session for IPL, with up to four sessions. The NHS treats dry eye with self-care, pharmacy products and, in severe cases, specialist drops or tear duct plugs. LipiFlow and IPL are mainly private. NICE has published no guidance on IPL, and its 2015 briefing on LipiFlow makes no recommendation. Both improved the oil glands in trials, but no trial has compared the two directly. A painful red eye or any change in sight needs urgent help from 111, a GP or A&E.

  • Consultation: free to £400
  • LipiFlow, both eyes: £950 to £1,190
  • IPL: £220 to £400 a session
  • NHS: self-care, drops, specialist care

Watch: What causes dry eye, how LipiFlow and IPL work, and what clinics charge. 1 min 27 s.

Read the transcript

Dry eye treatment, explained.

A common cause of dry eye is blocked oil glands along the edge of the eyelids, so the tears lose their oil and evaporate too fast.

Treatment starts at home, with warm compresses, lid cleaning and drops from a pharmacist.

If that hasn’t helped after a few weeks, private clinics offer LipiFlow.

It heats the inner eyelids and presses the outer lids to clear the glands, in about 12 minutes.

IPL uses pulses of light on the skin around the eyes, in a course of up to 4 sessions.

No trial has compared the two directly, and clinics recommend repeat treatment every 3 to 18 months.

IPL usually suits lighter skin, and isn’t recommended during pregnancy.

A clinic examines your oil glands and tear film, and says whether either treatment suits you.

A painful red eye or any change in sight needs urgent help from 111, a GP or A&E.

At the 7 clinics we checked, LipiFlow costs £500 to £595 an eye, and IPL £220 to £400 a session.

The NHS doesn’t routinely offer either, but an NHS eye specialist can prescribe drops or fit tear duct plugs.

Compare quotes from clinics near you.

Call 999 or go to A&E if you have any change in your sight, such as wavy lines, flashing or loss of vision, pain when you look at light, a red eye with a severe headache and feeling sick, very dark red eyes, an eye injury, or something stuck in your eye. The NHS says don’t drive yourself.

Ask for an urgent GP appointment or call 111 if your eye is painful and red, or red and you wear contact lenses. It could be an infection.

See an optician or GP if dry eyes haven’t improved after a few weeks of looking after them at home, or if the shape of your eyelids changes. They look for a cause and can refer you to an eye specialist. None of the clinic treatments on this page is for a sudden painful or red eye.

Who LipiFlow and IPL usually suit

Both treat meibomian gland dysfunction, where the oil glands along the edge of the eyelids block, the tear film loses its oil and tears evaporate too fast. A 2020 Cochrane review calls it the major cause of evaporative dry eye, the more common form.

Usually suitable

  • Dry eye from blocked eyelid oil glands, confirmed at an eye examination
  • Symptoms that warm compresses, lid cleaning and pharmacy drops haven't settled after several weeks
  • For IPL: lighter skin around the eyes, and not pregnant
  • For LipiFlow: people who want one treatment rather than a course, repeated every 12 to 18 months according to Optical Express

Usually not, or needs a different treatment

  • A painful red eye, a change in sight or an eye injury: urgent care first, as above
  • Too few tears, or a condition such as Sjögren's syndrome: an eye specialist looks for the cause, usually through the NHS
  • IPL with darker skin, active infections such as herpes, moles or tattoos around the eyes, keloid scars, blood thinners or pregnancy: Moorfields Private does not recommend IPL
  • Dry eye and planning laser eye surgery: the surgeon may suggest a lens implant instead, as below

A clinic examines the oil glands and tear film at the assessment and says whether either treatment suits you. Some clinics, such as The Dry Eyes Clinic in Salford, offer both and combine them.

Treatments for dry eye, from the pharmacy to the clinic

The first four rows are NHS routes, through a pharmacist, optician, GP or eye specialist. LipiFlow and IPL are paid for privately.

Option What it involves What the evidence says On the NHS? Cost
Self-care A warm flannel on the lids, gentle massage and wiping the lid edges each day; screen breaks; glasses instead of contact lenses for a while NICE's guidance for GPs advises warm compresses, lid hygiene and lid massage, especially for blocked oil glands What the NHS advises first Free
Pharmacy drops, gels and ointments Tear substitutes from a pharmacist; gels or ointment at night Ease symptoms. Moorfields advises preservative-free drops if you use them more than six times a day or wear contact lenses A pharmacist advises; no referral needed Varies by product
Specialist prescription drops Short courses of steroid drops, or ciclosporin (Ikervis), from an eye specialist NICE recommends ciclosporin for severe corneal inflammation in dry eye that tear substitutes haven't helped (TA369) Yes, after referral NHS prescription
Tear duct plugs Small plugs in the drainage holes in the eyelids keep tears on the eye for longer A specialist treatment in NICE's guidance for GPs Through an NHS eye specialist £300 to £650 privately at Clinica London
LipiFlow A 12-minute treatment that heats the inner eyelids and presses the outer lids to clear the oil glands; both eyes at once Improved gland function more than warm compresses in two randomised trials. A 2024 Cochrane review of 13 trials found it performed about the same as other common treatments, on low or very low certainty evidence NICE's 2015 briefing found it offered only in private clinics £500 to £595 for one eye; £950 to £1,190 for both
IPL (intense pulsed light) Pulses of light on the skin around the eyes, often followed by squeezing the glands; a course of up to four sessions Lowered symptom scores against sham treatment in a 2025 review of 13 trials. A 2020 Cochrane review of three trials was uncertain No NICE guidance; we found no NHS policy that funds it £220 to £400 a session; £880 to £1,600 for four

The first four are NHS routes. LipiFlow and IPL are private.

  • Self-care What it involves: A warm flannel on the lids, gentle massage and wiping the lid edges each day; screen breaks; glasses instead of contact lenses for a while What the evidence says: NICE's guidance for GPs advises warm compresses, lid hygiene and lid massage, especially for blocked oil glands On the NHS?: What the NHS advises first Cost: Free
  • Pharmacy drops, gels and ointments What it involves: Tear substitutes from a pharmacist; gels or ointment at night What the evidence says: Ease symptoms. Moorfields advises preservative-free drops if you use them more than six times a day or wear contact lenses On the NHS?: A pharmacist advises; no referral needed Cost: Varies by product
  • Specialist prescription drops What it involves: Short courses of steroid drops, or ciclosporin (Ikervis), from an eye specialist What the evidence says: NICE recommends ciclosporin for severe corneal inflammation in dry eye that tear substitutes haven't helped (TA369) On the NHS?: Yes, after referral Cost: NHS prescription
  • Tear duct plugs What it involves: Small plugs in the drainage holes in the eyelids keep tears on the eye for longer What the evidence says: A specialist treatment in NICE's guidance for GPs On the NHS?: Through an NHS eye specialist Cost: £300 to £650 privately at Clinica London
  • LipiFlow What it involves: A 12-minute treatment that heats the inner eyelids and presses the outer lids to clear the oil glands; both eyes at once What the evidence says: Improved gland function more than warm compresses in two randomised trials. A 2024 Cochrane review of 13 trials found it performed about the same as other common treatments, on low or very low certainty evidence On the NHS?: NICE's 2015 briefing found it offered only in private clinics Cost: £500 to £595 for one eye; £950 to £1,190 for both
  • IPL (intense pulsed light) What it involves: Pulses of light on the skin around the eyes, often followed by squeezing the glands; a course of up to four sessions What the evidence says: Lowered symptom scores against sham treatment in a 2025 review of 13 trials. A 2020 Cochrane review of three trials was uncertain On the NHS?: No NICE guidance; we found no NHS policy that funds it Cost: £220 to £400 a session; £880 to £1,600 for four

Private prices read on 11 October 2026.

Private prices are from the clinic table below, read on 11 October 2026. NICE's guidance for GPs is its Clinical Knowledge Summary on dry eye disease, last revised in January 2023.

Prices at seven UK clinics

Published prices, read from each clinic's own website on 11 October 2026. LipiFlow is priced per eye or for both eyes; IPL per session. Your price is confirmed at the assessment.

Clinic LipiFlow IPL Consultation Where, and other treatments
Optical Express £595 per eye Not offered on its dry eye page Free assessment with a LipiView scan; treatment can be the same day Glasgow, Manchester and London
Leightons Opticians Not listed £220 a session, including the optometrist consultation; most people need four Included in the session price Cobham, Camberley, Southampton and St Albans
Newmedica Not listed £250 a session; the consultant decides how many £195 assessment Oxfordshire clinic
The Dry Eyes Clinic £500 one eye; £950 both eyes £325 with an optometrist or £400 with a consultant; four sessions £1,000 or £1,400 paid in advance £225 with an optometrist; £310 with a consultant Salford, Manchester. Gland probing £1,900; LipiFlow and IPL together £2,250 paid in advance
Moorfields Private Not listed £360 a session; most people need 2 to 4 From £355 on its IPL page; from £272 on its dry eye page; scans extra London. Other treatment prices given after the consultation
Clinica London Not listed £365 a session, in a course of four £300 to £400 Harley Street, London. BlephEx lid cleaning £295; tear duct plugs £300 to £650; Lacrifill gel £650 one eye, £950 both
Optimal Vision From £500 per eye when both eyes are treated; £550 for one eye Not listed £200, with scans Gower Street and Harley Street, London

Read from each clinic's website on 11 October 2026.

  • Optical Express LipiFlow: £595 per eye IPL: Not offered on its dry eye page Consultation: Free assessment with a LipiView scan; treatment can be the same day Where, and other treatments: Glasgow, Manchester and London
  • Leightons Opticians LipiFlow: Not listed IPL: £220 a session, including the optometrist consultation; most people need four Consultation: Included in the session price Where, and other treatments: Cobham, Camberley, Southampton and St Albans
  • Newmedica LipiFlow: Not listed IPL: £250 a session; the consultant decides how many Consultation: £195 assessment Where, and other treatments: Oxfordshire clinic
  • The Dry Eyes Clinic LipiFlow: £500 one eye; £950 both eyes IPL: £325 with an optometrist or £400 with a consultant; four sessions £1,000 or £1,400 paid in advance Consultation: £225 with an optometrist; £310 with a consultant Where, and other treatments: Salford, Manchester. Gland probing £1,900; LipiFlow and IPL together £2,250 paid in advance
  • Moorfields Private LipiFlow: Not listed IPL: £360 a session; most people need 2 to 4 Consultation: From £355 on its IPL page; from £272 on its dry eye page; scans extra Where, and other treatments: London. Other treatment prices given after the consultation
  • Clinica London LipiFlow: Not listed IPL: £365 a session, in a course of four Consultation: £300 to £400 Where, and other treatments: Harley Street, London. BlephEx lid cleaning £295; tear duct plugs £300 to £650; Lacrifill gel £650 one eye, £950 both
  • Optimal Vision LipiFlow: From £500 per eye when both eyes are treated; £550 for one eye IPL: Not listed Consultation: £200, with scans Where, and other treatments: Gower Street and Harley Street, London

Optimax and Optegra publish no dry eye treatment or price.

Optimax and Optegra publish no dry eye treatment or price. Optimax's dry eye page lists drops, heated masks and lifestyle changes; Optegra says it assesses and treats dry eye in patients having cataract or laser surgery with it. None of these clinics' dry eye pages mentions finance. Prices change, so check with the clinic before you book.

What happens, from first symptoms to clinic treatment

  1. Look after your eyes at home A few weeks

    The NHS advises cleaning your eyelids every day: a warm flannel to loosen the oil, a gentle massage, then wiping the lid edges with warm cotton wool. Take screen breaks, use a humidifier and switch from contact lenses to glasses for a while.

  2. Ask a pharmacist No appointment needed

    A pharmacist can suggest drops, gels or ointments and tell you whether to see an optician or GP. Moorfields advises preservative-free drops if you need them more than six times a day or wear contact lenses.

  3. See an optician or GP If it hasn't improved after a few weeks

    They look for a cause and can refer you to an eye specialist. NICE's guidance for GPs suggests referral if symptoms haven't responded after 4 to 12 weeks.

  4. A private assessment Free to £400

    If you choose a private clinic, it examines your tear film and oil glands. At Optical Express a LipiView scan takes about 10 minutes, and LipiFlow can follow the same day if you are suitable. Moorfields tests a single IPL pulse on your skin first.

  5. Treatment LipiFlow: one visit. IPL: up to four sessions, 2 to 4 weeks apart

    LipiFlow takes about 12 minutes, usually both eyes together, and Optical Express says to allow an hour in the clinic. Moorfields says an IPL session takes a few minutes and the pulses can feel like a rubber band snapping on the skin; Leightons allows about 30 minutes. Moorfields advises avoiding the sun and wearing sunscreen for a few weeks before and after.

  6. Keeping it going Every 3 to 18 months

    Warm compresses and drops carry on. Optical Express recommends repeat LipiFlow every 12 to 18 months. Moorfields usually recommends a yearly IPL top-up, Leightons a maintenance session every 6 to 12 months, and The Dry Eyes Clinic and Clinica London every 3 to 6 months.

What the evidence shows

LipiFlow has randomised trials against warm compresses, and a 2024 Cochrane review of 13 trials that found it performed about the same as other common treatments. IPL has sham-controlled trials, a 2020 Cochrane review that found too little evidence to judge, and a 2025 review of 13 trials that found it probably reduces symptoms against sham.

  • Gland secretion score after LipiFlow 6.3 to 16.7 At 4 weeks; no significant change after 2 weeks of warm compresses. Lane et al., 139 adults, Cornea 2012
  • Had only one LipiFlow in a year 86% Symptom score fell from 44.1 to 21.6 at 12 months. Blackie et al., 200 people, 2016
  • IPL against sham 16 points lower On the 100-point OSDI symptom scale; 7 points as an add-on, effect unclear. Peira et al., 13 trials, 2025
  • Certainty of the IPL evidence in 2020 Very low Cochrane review of 3 trials, 114 adults; safety could not be judged. Cote et al., 2020
  • Trials comparing LipiFlow with IPL None 12 trials, 969 patients, compared only indirectly. Chen et al., 2025
  • New dry eye 3 months after LASIK About 28% Of people with no symptoms before. FDA PROWL studies, Eydelman et al., 2017

Several of these trials were funded by device makers or run by doctors who work with them. The Cochrane review notes this for two of its three trials, and two of the three authors of the 2016 LipiFlow trial worked for TearScience, LipiFlow's maker.

Worth knowing

  • Across 13 trials, LipiFlow improved the glands but not symptom scores by a significant amount (Chen et al., 2025)
  • Clinics recommend repeat treatment every 3 to 18 months, depending on the clinic and the treatment
  • Moorfields does not recommend IPL for darker skin, because of the risk of lasting changes to skin colour
  • When IPL is added to usual care, the 2025 review found a smaller effect and said harms are still very uncertain

Common at first. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists lists blurring that comes and goes and eye surface discomfort (dry eye symptoms) as common side effects of laser vision correction. Both come from a less stable tear film, which improves over a few months as the cornea heals. Most people stay comfortable with drops in the meantime.

How common. In the US FDA’s PROWL studies of 574 people having LASIK, about 28% of those with no dry eye symptoms beforehand had them three months after surgery. The College says lasting problems are unusual in people whose eye surface was normal before surgery.

Which laser. The College says comfort may come back slightly faster after lenticule extraction (SMILE), but the differences between techniques are small, and mild discomfort early on is normal after every type, LASIK included.

If you already have dry eye. The College says laser may not suit people with eye surface problems, and that many contact lens wearers are wrongly told they have dry eyes. Optimax says its specialists find an ICL lens implant or lens replacement suits most people with dry eyes better, because neither reshapes the cornea. If dryness lasts after surgery, go back to the clinic that treated you.

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NHS. The NHS dry eyes page, reviewed on 6 January 2025, covers self-care, a pharmacist and an optician or GP, who can refer you to an eye specialist. NICE’s guidance for GPs lists the specialist options: short courses of steroid drops, ciclosporin drops (recommended by NICE in TA369 for severe corneal inflammation that tear substitutes haven’t helped), tear duct plugs, special contact lenses and serum drops. NICE’s 2015 briefing on LipiFlow said it was not offered in the NHS and was available only in private clinics; NICE says such briefings are not guidance. NICE has published nothing on IPL for dry eye, and we found no NHS policy that funds it.

Private medical insurance. We found no insurer’s policy wording on LipiFlow or IPL. Clinica London says cover varies by provider and that an insurer may want a GP referral letter. Ask your insurer in writing before you book.

Paying. None of the clinics’ dry eye pages mentions finance. Newmedica offers finance through Novuna on treatments over £1,000, but its finance page doesn’t say whether IPL qualifies. The Dry Eyes Clinic charges less for a four-session IPL course paid in advance (£1,000 against £1,300 with an optometrist), and Leightons takes 20% off for members of its care plan. Ask for the total for the course, the assessment and any scans before you start.

Questions people ask about dry eye treatment

Probably, for symptoms, though the evidence is mixed. A Cochrane review in 2020 found only three small trials and rated the evidence very low certainty. A 2025 review of 13 trials found IPL cut symptom scores by 16 points on a 100-point scale against sham treatment. Added to usual care, the effect was 7 points, and the authors were unsure that mattered. In an early New Zealand trial of 28 people, with one eye treated and the other given sham light, 86% reported fewer symptoms in the treated eye at 45 days.

Optical Express says most people report the benefit lasting up to 18 months and recommends repeat treatment every 12 to 18 months. In a 2016 trial of 200 people, led by researchers from LipiFlow’s maker, 86% of the treated group had needed only one treatment at 12 months, with symptom scores still about half what they were at the start.

No trial has compared them directly. A 2025 analysis of 12 trials and 969 patients could compare them only indirectly and warned against drawing conclusions. IPL is a course of up to four sessions and doesn’t suit darker skin; LipiFlow is one treatment. Some clinics, such as The Dry Eyes Clinic in Salford, offer both together.

£220 to £400 a session at the five clinics in our table that publish an IPL price, read on 11 October 2026, and £880 to £1,600 for a course of four. Most clinics charge for the assessment separately, from £195 to £400.

Not routinely. The NHS starts with self-care and pharmacy products, and an NHS eye specialist can prescribe drops or fit tear duct plugs. NICE’s 2015 briefing found LipiFlow only in private clinics, and NICE has published nothing on IPL. See what the NHS pays for in eye surgery.

Yes, usually for a few months. The Royal College of Ophthalmologists lists dry eye symptoms as a common side effect that improves as the cornea heals. In the FDA’s PROWL studies, about 28% of people with no symptoms before LASIK had them three months later.

Sometimes. The Royal College says laser may not suit people with eye surface problems, but that many contact lens wearers are wrongly told they have dry eyes. Optimax says its specialists find an ICL lens implant or lens replacement suits most people with dry eyes better. The surgeon checks your tear film at the consultation.

Moorfields says IPL pulses can feel like a rubber band snapping on the skin, and it tests a single pulse on your skin first. LipiFlow uses warmth and pressure on the eyelids, and Optimal Vision uses numbing drops before it starts. Ask the clinic what to expect for your eyes.

Not reliably. Our quote form is for laser and lens surgery, so ask about dry eye treatment when the clinic calls. The other clinics in the price table take bookings directly.

Related guides

Sources and how we checked the prices

Every price on this page was read from the clinic's own website on 11 October 2026. Clinical figures come from the sources below. Prices change, so confirm with the clinic before you book.

  1. NHS, Dry eyes (opens in a new tab), reviewed 6 January 2025
  2. NICE Clinical Knowledge Summary, Dry eye disease: management and referral (opens in a new tab), last revised January 2023
  3. NICE MIB29, LipiFlow thermal pulsation treatment for dry eyes caused by blocked meibomian glands (medtech innovation briefing) (opens in a new tab), 21 April 2015
  4. NICE TA369, Ciclosporin for treating dry eye disease that has not improved despite treatment with artificial tears (opens in a new tab), 16 December 2015, reviewed 31 December 2018
  5. Royal College of Ophthalmologists, Laser vision correction patient information, PROF/2024/499 (opens in a new tab), updated 3 December 2024
Show all 25 sources Show fewer sources
  1. Lane et al., LipiFlow against iHeat warm compress, randomised trial of 139 adults, Cornea 31(4) (opens in a new tab), April 2012
  2. Blackie et al., the 12-month effect of a single LipiFlow treatment, 200 people, Clinical Ophthalmology 10 (opens in a new tab), 26 July 2016
  3. Pucker et al., LipiFlow for the treatment of dry eye disease, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD015448 (opens in a new tab), 5 February 2024
  4. Cote et al., Intense pulsed light therapy for meibomian gland dysfunction, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD013559 (opens in a new tab), 18 March 2020
  5. Craig et al., prospective sham-controlled trial of IPL in 28 people, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science 56(3) (opens in a new tab), 12 February 2015
  6. Peira et al., IPL for dry eye symptoms due to meibomian gland dysfunction, systematic review and meta-analysis of 13 trials, Acta Ophthalmologica 103(4) (opens in a new tab), June 2025
  7. Chen et al., Is LipiFlow effective as a standalone treatment? Systematic review and meta-analysis, Therapeutic Advances in Ophthalmology 17 (opens in a new tab), 10 May 2025
  8. Chen et al., LipiFlow or intense pulsed light? Systematic review and network meta-analysis of 12 trials, Photodiagnosis and Photodynamic Therapy 53 (opens in a new tab), June 2025
  9. Eydelman et al., symptoms and satisfaction in the FDA PROWL studies of LASIK, JAMA Ophthalmology 135(1) (opens in a new tab), 1 January 2017
  10. Optical Express, dry eye treatment and LipiFlow (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  11. Moorfields Private, light treatment for dry eyes (IPL prices) (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  12. Moorfields Private, dry eye diagnosis and treatment (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  13. The Dry Eyes Clinic, pricing (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  14. Optimal Vision, LipiFlow dry eye treatment (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  15. Clinica London, dry eye treatment and prices (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  16. Newmedica, IPL in Oxfordshire (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  17. Newmedica, finance (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  18. Leightons Opticians, IPL treatment (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  19. Optimax, dry eye syndrome (opens in a new tab), 11 October 2026
  20. Optegra, Dry Eye Awareness Month: advances in diagnosis and treatment (opens in a new tab), 30 July 2026, read 11 October 2026

Written By

William Amps is the lead writer at Lasik Eyes, where he covers laser eye surgery, lens replacement, cataract treatment and the UK clinics that provide them. He has spent years researching the private eye surgery market, comparing clinic prices, interpreting published outcome data and translating the jargon of refractive surgery into plain English for people weighing up whether it’s right for them.

His work on Lasik Eyes focuses on the questions patients actually ask: what the procedure really costs, how clinics differ, what the risks are and what the research says about long-term results. Every price, procedure and clinic review he writes is checked against the provider’s own published information and updated as the market changes.

His articles are intended to help you ask better questions at your consultation, not to replace the advice of a registered optometrist or ophthalmic surgeon.

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