I cured my dry eyes with this £85 beauty tool

Over the past few weeks, I’ve got into the habit of swishing an £85 heated wand under my eyes for a few minutes before bed. It’s a low-maintenance step in my beauty routine that I look forward to – especially after a day staring at a computer screen and, let’s be honest, some time spent scrolling on my phone.

Pleasingly, it works. The heat, which gets up to a spicy 45C, is a soothing antidote to dry, tired eyes. It gives the same sensation as a hot compress, without the fuss, and with added benefits: the sweeping motion of the wand helps to soften the look of puffy eyes, but it actually has lasting effects on improving dryness.

As Allon Barsam, a consultant ophthalmic surgeon at OCL Vision, explains, “It’s actually a layer of oil over the eyes that keeps them moist because it creates a film that prevents the evaporation of tears. The heat and massage helps get the oils flowing and unblocks ducts.”

While the Peep Club Heated Eye Wand has been around for a few years, I’ve been trialling its latest version, the Heated Eye Wand LED+ (launching on April 10), which has a ring of LED bulbs on the compress. There’s red, which helps the look of fine lines, green to deal with inflammation, and amber, which is supposedly good for dark circles. I’ve been using the amber setting every night, and while I haven’t seen a dramatic change in my dark circles yet, it’s a no-brainer to have good LED technology chucked in while soothing your eyes with the heat.

I spoke to a few colleagues in the office and it turns out others have been using the wand too, albeit the earlier models. It doesn’t surprise me: more than 50 per cent of women over 40 suffer with dry eyes, because “hormonal changes cause lower tear volume and poor tear quality”, explains Nicola Alexander-Cross, an optometrist and the founder of Peep Club. Laser eye surgery can also cause dryness, so those who have had their 20:20 vision restored may also suffer.

You need a little “slip” to use under the wand, to help it glide, so in what Gen Zers would call “habit stacking” I’ve begun consistently using eye cream for the first time in my life. In terms of what to look out for with an eye cream, oculoplastic surgeon Dr Elizabeth Hawkes tells me retinoids, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C are key ingredients. “Use your ring finger to gently pat the cream along the orbital bone, avoiding the lash line to prevent irritation,” she says. According to Dr Hawkes, it’s never too early to start using an eye cream, “since the eye area is highly active and it’s one of the first places to show signs of ageing”.

There are other ways to relieve dry eyes, too. A classic heated eye mask, which can be popped in the microwave, does the job nicely. Used at night, it can help alleviate that dry-eye feeling you can get first thing in the morning, and the beneficial effects can be cumulative.

I called up well-known beauty expert Ruby Hammer, who I know from photo shoots will always prep her (often celebrity) clients’ eyes with some drops. She told me that she stocks up on the Ima-Dazzle eye drops when in Italy, and Lumify when in the United States. If you’re not planning a trip soon, don’t worry – she also likes the Murine eye drops, which cost a little over £4, and are available from pharmacies and Amazon. Opticians often recommend the Hycosan brand, also widely stocked.

Peep Club’s Instant Relief Eye Spray (£15, peepclub.co.uk) is handy if you don’t like using drops. With sea buckthorn oil and sodium hyaluronate, it instantly refreshes gritty, tired eyes, whether you’re at a desk or coming off a long-haul flight.

Three favourites

Under Eye Patches, £58 for 60, Charlotte Tilbury

These under-eye masks have been flying off the shelves since launching last autumn, and I can see why: they really do refresh and depuff the under eyes in around 10 minutes. I love that they come in one pot, rather than in individual packets, which feels wasteful.

SmartGoggles, £175, Therabody

These 100 per cent black-out goggles are utter bliss if you suffer from tired eyes and frequent headaches. Switch on the device for a compression massage, heat and vibration. You can even sync it with your Spotify playlist if you want to play some relaxing music at the same time.

Barrier Repair Eye Cream by Byoma, £14, Spacenk

This hydrating eye cream protects the skin barrier and reduces water loss from the skin under the eyes. It works brilliantly under make-up, too.