Dry eye is a chronic condition, so “managed” is the honest word rather than “cured” — but managed well, it can fade into the background of your life instead of dominating it. The goal of treatment is to restore a stable, healthy tear film and keep it that way. For many patients, that means an initial series of in-office treatments to get the glands functioning again, along with sensible daily habits, and then periodic maintenance as needed. What we’d steer you away from is the endless-drops approach: artificial tears alone treat the symptom, not the cause, and meibomian gland dysfunction that goes unaddressed tends to progress. Earlier intervention generally means better long-term gland function.