23 Year old male with sudden MGD

[MikeAndrew93]

I'm 23 and I have been wearing contacts for 10 years for 12+ hours a day and never had a problem with dry eyes, I have never even used eye drops during this time. Over the course of 2-3 days I became intolerant of my contacts and my eyes became very dry after I stopped wearing them. I've been to an optometrist and 2 ophthalmologist and they have told me my oil glands aren't producing enough oils and making "skid marks" on my eyes. Currently I have 2 lower plugs in and no contacts for the past 4 weeks. I'm using warm compresses and Oust Deomdex for the past week. I can tolerate it at the moment, but I'm scared it will get worse. I'm only 23 and never had any eye problems and this is very new to me.

Summary: 23 year old male with unknown cause of MGD that occurred in a 48-72 hour period and lasted for the last 6 weeks.

[farmgirl]

Welcome to the forum Mike. Has the treatment helped at all yet or are you still just the same?

[MikeAndrew93]

I've only been on treatment for the past 3 weeks and it's still mostly the same.

[farmgirl]

I am surprised that you would have been plugged so quickly, that is not usually the first course of treatment. You didn't mention it but I am assuming you are using wetting drops like Systane Ultra. What ever you put in your eyes try to use non preserved drops and whatever you do don't use anything preserved with BAK ( benzalkomium chloride). Also don't be tempted to use red reducing drops like Visine except occasionally as regular use of either of those can create problems.

3 weeks is not a very long time so be patient. As much as it can be alarming since you are getting treatment so quickly and doing your own research I wouldn't waste any emotions fearing that it will get worse. You will have ups and downs and some days better or worse than others but I am guessing that you will be able to control it. I personally do not have MGD, my situation is Sjogrens related but there are many here in the same boat as you who have stayed the course and can advise what worked for them. We are all different and our circumstances are all different so we need to research and be aware of and try different modialties, but the general theme is most of us can arrive at a place where we manage to stay comfortable and many get better.

One thing that is known to be a big contributer to MGD is excessive computer, video game, TV, cell phone, tablet usage. I highly recommend, at least for the next while that you limit your usage of these devices. Turn the backlight down and take at least a 10 min break every 20 min or so. The problem with using these devices is that we tend to forget to blink as we are staring at the screen and often when we do the blink is not firm enough to activate the oil glands so be aware of that. It can be a big contributing factor.

Above all stay strong and keep researching....cheers F/G

[MikeAndrew93]

I agree with you, I got plugged 2 weeks after my symptoms appeared because my tissue on my cornea was flaking. Currently I actually don't have to use any drops. I'm doing warm compress and lid scrub. My ophthalmologist thinks my dry skin is related to my eye problem and is also treating me for demodex mites just in case. My work requires me to use a computer pretty often and I work in a dusty environment (civil engineer). I have been tested for hyperthyroidism and sjorgens and they both came back negative.

[farmgirl]

Flaking corneas, wow I have never heard that term used, sounds pretty serious. I have read that demodex mites are often a problem so I think it is good that you are being treated just in case. It sounds like your doctor is pretty good and isn't just giving you the 'yep, you're dry here try these drops' routine. I would recommend that you get yourself some quality oils as well, not just fish oils but rather something better. One of my eye specialists is no longer recommending fish oil supplements but I found another source of oils that are pure and balanced called Parent Essential Oils. I take 4 a day. They cost a bit more but I figure my eyes are worth it.

It is really tough when your lively hood depends on computer usage. You might try downloading a blink reminder on your computer. There is one somewhere on this site but I googled it and there seem to be some apps out there and don't forget to schedule frequent breaks even if they are shorter then limit TV and video games in the evening or watch TV with your eyes half closed. The other thing I would do is to get a pair of goggle glasses (safety glasses). These will help to protect your precious eyes from dust and excessive air movement. I like the Wiley X or 7eye but there are other types. Someone posted that they liked the Harley ones especially because they are not quite so 'gogglie' They are available online or you might try motorcycle shops. Just make sure that the fit is good as they need to hug your face to be effective.

As regards the Sjogrens test being negative many are, including mine, but a lip biopsy told the story. It left me with a small numb spot on my lower lip that I rarely notice but it was worth it to me to know for sure whether or not autoimmune was a contributor to my problem.

I just found the lowdown on the blink app on this site

http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/forum...-blinking-eyes

[pythonidler]

I'm 23 and I have been wearing contacts for 10 years for 12+ hours a day and never had a problem with dry eyes, I have never even used eye drops during this time. Over the course of 2-3 days I became intolerant of my contacts and my eyes became very dry after I stopped wearing them. I've been to an optometrist and 2 ophthalmologist and they have told me my oil glands aren't producing enough oils and making "skid marks" on my eyes. Currently I have 2 lower plugs in and no contacts for the past 4 weeks. I'm using warm compresses and Oust Deomdex for the past week. I can tolerate it at the moment, but I'm scared it will get worse. I'm only 23 and never had any eye problems and this is very new to me.

Summary: 23 year old male with unknown cause of MGD that occurred in a 48-72 hour period and lasted for the last 6 weeks.

There's quite a few similarities between your case and when I got dry eye.

I was 25 when I got my first symptoms. I had worn contact lenses all day, every day for the previous 11+ years. And all through college and after, I spend lots of time on the computer for work. Both of those things contributed to my dry eye, in my opinion.

You can read my intro post if you like, but to summarize what ended up happening to me: A few months after my first dry eye symptoms, I started working at an office job where I worked at the computer 8-9 hours a day. Gradually, over the course of two years there, my eyes got worse and worse and worse. At the end of my job, it was so miserable just to wake up in the morning. It's only been within the past year that I've gotten better, thanks to finally finding a good doctor, who diagnosed me with three different problems: MGD, tear deficiency, and corneal neuropathy (basically nerve damage to the eye).

If I could travel back in time and warn myself, I would tell myself to quit my job before I started. I did enough damage to my eyes over those two years, that I will probably not be able to feel normal again. And the money I earned - which was pretty good considering I was an engineer living in a cheap city (Phoenix) - will only pay for the next 5-10 years of medical expenses. It was NOT worth it.

I'm glad you are concerned about this NOW, because I ignored my symptoms for too long. It was about 9 months after my initial symptoms that I saw my first ophthalmologist. And it wasn't until 6 months later that I realized he didn't know a whole lot about dry eye (he didn't know about MGD).

My advice to you would be this:

1. If you can afford it, or if your parents can support you financially for a while, either quit your job or go on medical leave (most likely via FMLA) for a while. It might be tough to do this - but it is probably necessary. Take a hiatus from working and allow yourself time to heal. Try getting outside and away from the computer for a few months.
2. Give your current ophthalmologist a few months to try to make you better. If it's clear nothing is working, find another ophthalmologist. I'd recommend looking at university medical centers or research hospitals for one. And the first ophthalmologist you see there will know of other ophthalmologists in their network who might be able to help you better (assuming they don't consider themselves to be a dry eye specialist).
3. Start taking fish oils. Not just any fish oil either - I would recommend Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega. My doctor has me on 2000 mg of omega-3's a day, which is 4 pills of the Ultimate Omega. They are pricey, but absolutely worth it to control the inflammation of your eye. As far as I know, there is no downside to taking these supplements. These are just one of the things I have to do every day as part of my routine.

Good luck, and let us know how things go.

[farmgirl]

Wow Mike, you and pythonidler could be twins. This is exactly the kind of person you need to connect with since he has been there, done that, got the T-shirt. I am happy to hear though that in the past year you are finally feeling better pythonidler.

Like I said in my first post "We are all different and our circumstances are all different so we need to research and be aware of and try different modialties, but the general theme is most of us can arrive at a place where we manage to stay comfortable and many get better." Good luck, both of you, stay strong...cheers...F/G