When Did your Dry Eye begin?

[Lacey1]

I've been trying to pinpoint what caused my dry eye. Yes, I had LASIKS and my eyes were slightly more dry post-surgery. It definitely elevated on March 15th. I was talking to my Dad today and he said something that made a lightbulb go on. What happened worldwide near this time...the earthquake in Japan along with the problems with their nuclear reactors. Is it possible my body was already compromised and I was exposed to a small amount of radioactive iodine that has caused problems with my thyroid. I haven't had any testing, I'm trying to get into a doctor, but I was just curious if any newbies developed their dry eye around the same time. I know it's pretty far fetched, but I'm searching for answers.

Wishing you all health and moist eyes :-)

[kitty]

I can't tell you when my DES began. I always had difficulty tolerating contact lenses. I got contacts when I was in my late 20's, early 30's. My unbearable DES symptoms began suddenly in the fall about 6 years ago. It seems to have coincided with onset of perimenopause. My TMJ problems were also diagnosed about that time though I know know that I had those symptoms for some 20 years or more by the time I was diagnosed. I think the cause of my DES is multifactoral, starting most likely with contact lens use and allergies, with TMj problems contributing and ultimately perimenopause was the straw that broke the camel's back.

[Schatten]

I can tell you exactly when.
In the 2nd half 2009 I "enjoyed" already slight irritations of my eyes. They teared a bit, itched sometimes and also burned a few times. When I talked to somebody about it they said it's probably nothing, I just would read to match etc.
My sister uses contact lenses for some years already so I thought "Why not try them at least once ?"
So I went to see an eye doctor to adapt a pair of test lenses. When I used them for 2 weeks in january 2011 I wondered by they seemed to be "glued" to my ocular surface and why they were so sticky and slimy when I took them off after just some hours. To add, these were soft lenses made to wear the whole day ...
My eyes did already hurt like mad when I tried to get them in, which you may know or not, kinda takes a while if you are new to them.
I trusted my eye doctor that he would check my eyes before I he gave me them. I was so wrong.
In april I went to see him again because I had strong light sensivity and walking around outside looking at the sky or if the sun shone through a window lead me to severe head ache. Because I am a student of health sciences I have a medical encyclopedic dictionary and found the article about snow blindness which lead me to the conclusion it might have something to do with light and well went to see my doctor.
He performed a Schirmer's and said my eyes are bone dry. So he sent me home with a sample of preservative free eye drops. From then on I used'em regularly throughout the day.
But it didn't get any better so I went to another doctor.
He just examined my eyes through a slit lamp and said to me "If you weren't in front of me I had suspected to see the eyes of a post-menopausal women of above age 40, he advised me to go see a specialist.
Well in january this year I went to the university eye clinic near my living place, and they validated the exam results and send me home with a treatment plan with at least 4 different kinds of products and eye lid hygiene ...
So I was prescribed CSA drops and the hint to buy these special glases that form a chamber around your eyes.
Well at least I don't have any rheumatic disease, all ENA/ANA were negative.
I'll now have to see what future brings.