Tweet
Hello all,
I finally get to post a lasting success. In February I got fitted for Prose lenses at University of Michigan and what an amazing difference.
I was diagnosed in October 2011 with ATD and eventually worsening MGD. As my disease progressed my corneas became more and more painful- I went from the more annoying burning/stinging sensations at the beginning to increasing bouts of "peeled grape"-like ocular pain, photophobia and hammering corneal pain. At first this pain seemed to be triggered by MG flare-ups, but eventually it took on a life of its own. It was horrible.
I had tried everything, literally EVERYTHING for my disease including (but not limited to!) cautery, MG probing, conjunctivochalasis surgery, allergy testing/hyposensitization, bandage lenses, and every drop you can imagine. I was in physical and emotional misery.
Until I got fitted for PROSE lenses. I can't tell you what a relief they have been. My eyes are off my mind. I can read, use the computer, watch TV, garden, show up to work reliably, care for my kids the way I want to, everything I loved doing that I had lost. It is such a blessing to have it back. The burning/stinging sensations were gone immediately. At first I still got episodes of the hammering corneal pain even with the lenses in place, but these are also now decreasing in frequency and severity and I am hoping will eventually be a thing of the past.
The docs at U of M do think I have a component of corneal neuropathy based on my pain pattern, and I am also on gabapentin.
I know some people have complained about the edges off the lenses bothering them and other issues, but I don't feel them at all. I wear them for all my waking hours. For me they have been awesome. The biggest problem I get with them is that they sometimes fill with debris and I have to remove them, wash them, and reinsert them, but this is still SO much less labor intensive than eye drops every 10 minutes.
I also had an ophthamologist warn me against Prose lenses, with the logic that they trap inflammatory debris against the eye. This may very well be true, but eventually you just have to get out of pain and live your life. I try to manage this risk with removal/cleaning a few times a day.
In any case, if you've tried everything with little to no success, I think it is worth trying Prose lenses. They have quite literally given me my life back.
I have been meaning to write about this for some time now, but have been too busy- leading a NORMAL LIFE. Imagine!
-MLE
I finally get to post a lasting success. In February I got fitted for Prose lenses at University of Michigan and what an amazing difference.
I was diagnosed in October 2011 with ATD and eventually worsening MGD. As my disease progressed my corneas became more and more painful- I went from the more annoying burning/stinging sensations at the beginning to increasing bouts of "peeled grape"-like ocular pain, photophobia and hammering corneal pain. At first this pain seemed to be triggered by MG flare-ups, but eventually it took on a life of its own. It was horrible.
I had tried everything, literally EVERYTHING for my disease including (but not limited to!) cautery, MG probing, conjunctivochalasis surgery, allergy testing/hyposensitization, bandage lenses, and every drop you can imagine. I was in physical and emotional misery.
Until I got fitted for PROSE lenses. I can't tell you what a relief they have been. My eyes are off my mind. I can read, use the computer, watch TV, garden, show up to work reliably, care for my kids the way I want to, everything I loved doing that I had lost. It is such a blessing to have it back. The burning/stinging sensations were gone immediately. At first I still got episodes of the hammering corneal pain even with the lenses in place, but these are also now decreasing in frequency and severity and I am hoping will eventually be a thing of the past.
The docs at U of M do think I have a component of corneal neuropathy based on my pain pattern, and I am also on gabapentin.
I know some people have complained about the edges off the lenses bothering them and other issues, but I don't feel them at all. I wear them for all my waking hours. For me they have been awesome. The biggest problem I get with them is that they sometimes fill with debris and I have to remove them, wash them, and reinsert them, but this is still SO much less labor intensive than eye drops every 10 minutes.
I also had an ophthamologist warn me against Prose lenses, with the logic that they trap inflammatory debris against the eye. This may very well be true, but eventually you just have to get out of pain and live your life. I try to manage this risk with removal/cleaning a few times a day.
In any case, if you've tried everything with little to no success, I think it is worth trying Prose lenses. They have quite literally given me my life back.
I have been meaning to write about this for some time now, but have been too busy- leading a NORMAL LIFE. Imagine!
-MLE
Comment