Inge van Lotringen: Anti-agers no one but By Inge van Lotringen you need know about 

Q: MY EYES are increasingly sore and scratchy so I rub them a lot, but this is making little broken veins appear near them. Can anything help aside from eye drops? I’m 68.

A: THERE’S a new device called OptiLight that delivers pulses of high-intensity light to the closed eyelids to treat blepharitis (swelling and itching owing to bacterial growth) and dry eyes (a scratchy, teary eye condition that can worsen with age).

‘It destroys the overgrowth of the organisms that promote inflammation and it resets the eyes’ bacterial balance,’ says oculoplastic surgeon Professor Jonathan Roos. ‘It also allows the lipids in the oil glands to become more liquid, improving tear quality, and helps restore the glands that produce these oils, dispensing with the constant need for eye drops.’

The machine has a setting to cauterise broken veins around the delicate eye area, which can cause puffiness, so these are zapped as well. Three treatments two to three weeks apart (with one annual session for maintenance) are required, taking about 15 minutes each. It feels like hot elastic-band snaps but it’s quite bearable.

There’s a new device called OptiLight that delivers pulses of high-intensity light to the closed eyelids to treat blepharitis (swelling and itching owing to bacterial growth) and dry eyes

It’s £1,600 for the course (facerestoration.com) or, to find a provider near you, go to treatmydryeye.com. Unsightly veins can also be effectively covered with well-placed concealer — Clinique Even Better All-Over Concealer (£19, clinique.co.uk) is great for this.

• Email your questions to Ingeborg van Lotringen, author of Great Skin, at inge@dailymail.co.uk.