Dry Eye Clinic
GS Eye Center's dry eye clinic treats the cause, not just the symptom. Most dry eye traces back to meibomian gland dysfunction, so the clinic combines IPL light therapy - adopted in 2017 and registered as a New Health Technology in Korea in 2018 - with radio-frequency treatment for conjunctivochalasis, the sagging conjunctiva that blocks tear drainage.
What actually causes dry eye?
By the clinic's account, more than 75% of people in Korea experience dry eye - and in more than 86% of cases the leading driver is reduced meibomian gland function: the oil glands in the eyelids stop protecting the tear film. Left untreated, it can progress to inflammatory blepharitis, corneal damage, haze and reduced vision.
Why glands slow down
Aging and lowered immunity, long hours on screens, stress, dry environments, eye make-up and contact lens wear all contribute to meibomian gland decline.
More than just "dry"
Grittiness, foreign-body sensation, burning, blurry vision - and, counterintuitively, watering eyes: reflex tears triggered by irritation are a classic dry-eye sign.
It compounds
Chronic dryness feeds inflammation, which further damages glands and the corneal surface. Cause-directed treatment interrupts that cycle before it costs vision quality.
How does IPL treat dry eye?
Intense Pulsed Light at 590-1300nm - delivered on the Lumenis M22 platform - warms the eyelids so that hardened oil blocking the meibomian glands can be expressed, while also constricting abnormally dilated vessels, clearing inflammatory factors, and reducing bacteria and parasites around the lids.
IPL for dry eye is U.S. FDA cleared and its use has been validated at accredited medical institutions - including the Mayo Clinic - in about 20 countries. In Korea, the method passed the Ministry of Health and Welfare's review of stability and effectiveness before its formal registration as a New Health Technology.
A session, step by step
Tear film and gland assessment.
An ophthalmologist confirms the treatment plan.
Lids and surrounding area are prepared.
Pulsed light is applied along the eyelid area.
Softened oil is squeezed from the meibomian glands.
What about eyes that water instead of feeling dry?
Conjunctivochalasis - conjunctiva loosened by aging, long-term contact lens wear, allergies and conjunctivitis, eye-rubbing, double-eyelid surgery or misdirected lashes - wrinkles over the tear drainage channel, so tears pool and spill while the surface still dries out. GS treats it with the Acutron high-frequency system, shrinking the sagging tissue back into shape without incisions.
Under ten minutes, no incision
Micro-current heat contracts the loosened conjunctiva while minimizing thermal stress on surrounding tissue. No cutting, no scarring, and a quick recovery afterward.
Single-use tips
Each treatment uses disposable single-use products to prevent infection, and the method is applied even in severe dry-eye cases.
Who should visit the dry eye clinic?
Dry eye questions
Dry eye is about tear quality more than quantity. When the oil layer fails, tears evaporate and irritate the surface - triggering reflex watering. Pooling from conjunctivochalasis produces the same paradox: wet-feeling eyes that are drying out.
Inflammation from the laser-healing process commonly causes dryness after surgery. It tends to be strongest early and improve with time, though individual cases can persist beyond a year - a reason GS runs a dedicated dry eye clinic alongside its surgical practice.
Contact lenses, eye make-up, oral contraceptives, heavy screen use, smoking, alcohol, fine dust and stress. The clinic also cautions that isotretinoin acne medication, chemotherapy and radiotherapy can damage the meibomian glands.
No - it follows the type. Tear-deficient dryness is managed with artificial tears, ointments and secretion stimulants; evaporative dryness with warm compresses, lid cleansing, antibiotics and IPL; inflammatory cases may add steroid therapy. The exam determines which you have.
Drink plenty of water and go easy on diuretics like alcohol and caffeine; consider omega-3 intake; use warm compresses and keep eyelids clean. These habits support - but do not replace - cause-directed treatment.