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So I wanted to write and share my story with you since I have been using this site now for 7 months desperately searching for a cure. It has been a lifeline to me in so many ways so I want to thank Rebecca and everybody else for that. I'll give you a brief synopsis of my dry eye story. I'm 24, have been using contacts full-time since I was 14 until about a year and a half ago when I began to notice my eyes were feeling a bit dry and so I changed to part-time.
February 2015 I had a really bad outbreak of dry eye to the point when it was affecting my sleep and I felt a constant and exhausting burning in my eyes for approx 2 weeks. I started to use hylo tear (before that I had only used blink eye drops) and hylo tear was a blessing! Felt like my eyes were having a bath!!! I also used moist cotton wool pads over my eyes whilst I slept for probably around a week and this seemed to cure my dry eyes for a while. I did continue to notice an intolerance to contact lenses but could still wear them for a few evenings a week without any real issue after taking them out.
Then Christmas this year came a terrible bout of dry eye. I mean to the point where I was close to suicidal. They were painful and sore and tired ALL THE TIME!!! It seriously impacted me. I became terrified that I was going to have to give up my university place in September because I just couldn't cope. The worst was at night. I would wake up and have to prise my eyes open. They would sting unbearably and feel like sandpaper! I tried so many gels and ointments: Systane gel, systane ointment, artelac, lacrilube...bla bla bla...
Anyway I have experimented a lot and have also seen a dry eye specialist who has informed me I have MGD and told me to use heat compresses and massage. I did this on/off for 2 months to no real avail. I went back to see her and she insisted that I continue but that I should use a hot flannel (not a bleph mask that I bought) something about wet heat compared to dry heat?? and she taught me the proper way to massage my eyes. She also told me to start using hylo-extra for a few weeks and stop with all the gels/ointments at night.
WOW! This has been a game changer for me.It's been 3 weeks now and my eyes are SO much better! They aren't completely cured by any means but I do have days when I don't think about them and have days when I don't use drops at all!!! This to me is a HUGE success considering how I was feeling before. Now I use hylo-extra whenever I need to (usually once a day and before I go to bed) and do my heat compresses 2x a day with lid massage and cleaning after. I also take a visionace supplement which is supposed to help eye health although has no benefit for dry eye. I have picked up my exercise regime and drink a lot of green tea (don't know if this makes a significant difference to my eyes but does help with my health in general so will be continuing it!)
Also I really feel strongly against gels and ointments. They just seemed to make my eyes worse (even the non-preservative ones). Hylo-extra on the other hand just seems to help so much! Maybe it's the only thing my eyes can tolerate? Who knows?
Sorry this is a long post but I just wanted to say what had helped me in the hope that it will help others too. I'm under no illusion that my eyes will just be great from now on but I do at least have hope that I can live a normal, happy life! Any questions just post
February 2015 I had a really bad outbreak of dry eye to the point when it was affecting my sleep and I felt a constant and exhausting burning in my eyes for approx 2 weeks. I started to use hylo tear (before that I had only used blink eye drops) and hylo tear was a blessing! Felt like my eyes were having a bath!!! I also used moist cotton wool pads over my eyes whilst I slept for probably around a week and this seemed to cure my dry eyes for a while. I did continue to notice an intolerance to contact lenses but could still wear them for a few evenings a week without any real issue after taking them out.
Then Christmas this year came a terrible bout of dry eye. I mean to the point where I was close to suicidal. They were painful and sore and tired ALL THE TIME!!! It seriously impacted me. I became terrified that I was going to have to give up my university place in September because I just couldn't cope. The worst was at night. I would wake up and have to prise my eyes open. They would sting unbearably and feel like sandpaper! I tried so many gels and ointments: Systane gel, systane ointment, artelac, lacrilube...bla bla bla...
Anyway I have experimented a lot and have also seen a dry eye specialist who has informed me I have MGD and told me to use heat compresses and massage. I did this on/off for 2 months to no real avail. I went back to see her and she insisted that I continue but that I should use a hot flannel (not a bleph mask that I bought) something about wet heat compared to dry heat?? and she taught me the proper way to massage my eyes. She also told me to start using hylo-extra for a few weeks and stop with all the gels/ointments at night.
WOW! This has been a game changer for me.It's been 3 weeks now and my eyes are SO much better! They aren't completely cured by any means but I do have days when I don't think about them and have days when I don't use drops at all!!! This to me is a HUGE success considering how I was feeling before. Now I use hylo-extra whenever I need to (usually once a day and before I go to bed) and do my heat compresses 2x a day with lid massage and cleaning after. I also take a visionace supplement which is supposed to help eye health although has no benefit for dry eye. I have picked up my exercise regime and drink a lot of green tea (don't know if this makes a significant difference to my eyes but does help with my health in general so will be continuing it!)
Also I really feel strongly against gels and ointments. They just seemed to make my eyes worse (even the non-preservative ones). Hylo-extra on the other hand just seems to help so much! Maybe it's the only thing my eyes can tolerate? Who knows?
Sorry this is a long post but I just wanted to say what had helped me in the hope that it will help others too. I'm under no illusion that my eyes will just be great from now on but I do at least have hope that I can live a normal, happy life! Any questions just post
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