Dried eye but no eye drops is prescribed. Just clean. Why?

[titanif]

I have one eye which is quite teary. Went to checked with an eye specialist (an Oculoplastics) and was diagnosed with dried eye, but not serious. Due to dryness, hence the eye produce tears to compensate. He do not warrant the use of eye drops, but instead recommend eye wipes to clean twice daily the root of the eye lashes (top and bottom). I asked him whats the benefit of just wiping. He went round to talk quite a long and tedious explanation and by the time he finished I lost track what is he trying to say. Sometimes a good golfer can be a lousy coach.

I need to see him in 6 mths time. I’m just into two weeks of wiping. So still at a very early stage to see any results. Can someone explain in layman’s language whats the benefit of just wiping instead of using tear drop. His an oculoplastic. So I take it that his method must be beneficial. But how does it works?

Tks

[deep_dry_eye]

Why don't you find a dry eye specialist in your area, and get a 2nd opinion?

[Hokucat]

Sounds like your doctor is diagnosing the root of your problem is blepharitis or meibomian gland dysfunction. So using an eyelid scrub can help remove bacteria and debris that can clog up the meibomian glands on your eyelid margins. This prevents the glands from producing enough oil to mix with the tears from your aqueous glands. With little or no oil, tears can evaporate in seconds, making the surface of your eye vulnerable to air, infections, etc.

Eye drops would not solve the problem, but can definitely provide comfort. There shouldn’t be any issues with you trying some preservative-free OTC eyedrops, but you can always double check with your doctor. Some people with MGD find Ocusoft Retaine helpful. I liked Genteal Tears because they seemed to stay on my eyes longer.

Also good to get a second opinion as deepdryeye mentioned above.