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My name is Neil, and here is my story. I have been a “lurker” on this website for almost 2 and a half years. I was diagnosed with dry eye at 30 years old, approximately three years ago. It started with abrasions/erosions in the middle of the night. It took six months before I got the diagnosis. We had to go through several doctors either because of retirement, death, or just not seeming to care. I have had every test that I know of conducted and the conclusion was, as many of you have experienced yourself, that there is no known reason why this suddenly happened to you. Oh, and being a “young” male makes it even more rare. One Schirmer test was 5 and 6 and a month later it was 1 and 2.
My bottom puncta have been plugged with punctal plugs and “smart” plugs. The latter caused an infection in one punctum. I had to get that one cauterized. The doctor we have now and that we really like also determined I have lagophthalmos so I have to tape my eyes shut at night. For whatever the reason, the tape most people use caused my eyelids to bleed. That was really hard to deal with. I found an article in Popular Mechanics or Popular Science talking about this new 3M Kind Removal Silicone Tape designed to not hurt elderly people’s skin. The tape has helped tremendously.
This forum has helped me so much. Just a few of the things I found out here are Borage Oil pills, Wiley’s, dustbusters, serum drops, and my rice bag. I was also introduced to scleral lenses here. After two and a half years and reading some recent accounts that people had with Dr. Gemoules in Coppell, TX, we decided that his scleral lenses were something we needed to try.
I went last October and spent a week at Dr. G’s. It had been several years since I had worn contacts, and they were soft ones. He was very patient with me and very kind. It took me some time to get accustomed to the lenses. I am very cautious about posting things, but my wife and I realized how far I have come since October. She encouraged me to post this in the event someone else like me is reading.
This may sound stupid, but I realized that whenever age was brought up I would always think I was 30. After having the lenses a few months, I was answering 33. It was a subconscious thing, but it was as though my life was on hold. Now it is slowly coming back. These lenses have been a life changer. I have to use rewetting drops during the day, but I don’t have to deal with the dry eye pain/irritation. I do not worry about having an erosion at work, and I am not tied to a refrigerator used to store some of my drops. I can now go outside (with my Wiley’s), drive some at night, and was able to spend Christmas driving to see the family.
Thank you everyone for posting your experiences. Thank you Mrs. Rebecca and also Dr. Gemoules for helping me. I still have dry eye, but I am so much better thanks to these lenses. We have been blessed.
My bottom puncta have been plugged with punctal plugs and “smart” plugs. The latter caused an infection in one punctum. I had to get that one cauterized. The doctor we have now and that we really like also determined I have lagophthalmos so I have to tape my eyes shut at night. For whatever the reason, the tape most people use caused my eyelids to bleed. That was really hard to deal with. I found an article in Popular Mechanics or Popular Science talking about this new 3M Kind Removal Silicone Tape designed to not hurt elderly people’s skin. The tape has helped tremendously.
This forum has helped me so much. Just a few of the things I found out here are Borage Oil pills, Wiley’s, dustbusters, serum drops, and my rice bag. I was also introduced to scleral lenses here. After two and a half years and reading some recent accounts that people had with Dr. Gemoules in Coppell, TX, we decided that his scleral lenses were something we needed to try.
I went last October and spent a week at Dr. G’s. It had been several years since I had worn contacts, and they were soft ones. He was very patient with me and very kind. It took me some time to get accustomed to the lenses. I am very cautious about posting things, but my wife and I realized how far I have come since October. She encouraged me to post this in the event someone else like me is reading.
This may sound stupid, but I realized that whenever age was brought up I would always think I was 30. After having the lenses a few months, I was answering 33. It was a subconscious thing, but it was as though my life was on hold. Now it is slowly coming back. These lenses have been a life changer. I have to use rewetting drops during the day, but I don’t have to deal with the dry eye pain/irritation. I do not worry about having an erosion at work, and I am not tied to a refrigerator used to store some of my drops. I can now go outside (with my Wiley’s), drive some at night, and was able to spend Christmas driving to see the family.
Thank you everyone for posting your experiences. Thank you Mrs. Rebecca and also Dr. Gemoules for helping me. I still have dry eye, but I am so much better thanks to these lenses. We have been blessed.
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