Help! New member! bleph/mgd/dry eyes

[sabeena78]

I'm so glad I found this site - thanks everyone for helpful information and tips. Before I launch into my story, if it is too long to read, like another poster today I wanted to get recommendations for eye doctors in Washington DC. The one I've been going to always tells me I look better even though I don't feel better and I don't feel like he explains things to me (I don't understand what is causing what). The second question I have is how not to get down about this stuff. While I'm glad I found this website, it also freaked me out a little bit because it seems like people have been doing this stuff forever. The third question is whether anyone has tried anything alternative - homeopathic or something that has worked.

So in the last few years my allergies have been getting really bad. I am on Clarinex-D. In early 2006 I started getting allergy shots. In the fall of 2005 when my allergies started getting worse I also felt like my eyes were itchy, etc and the eye doctor told me I had dry eye which I didn't realize. I was given tears and patanol. The most annoying symptom I developed was secretions out of my eyes - white gunk. I still don't understand if this is because of allergies or MGD? I was also told to do the q-tip/baby shampoo thing, which I've been doing for over a year. Eventually I stopped wearing my contacts except for maybe once a week. Then a year ago I went to another doctor because I was frustrated and then I was diagnosed with blepharitis. Now I do hot compresses, use restasis, pataday, take doxy (which freaks me out a bit because it is an antibiotic), and alrex which I'm supposed to be stopping soon. I'm so frustrated that none of this seems to be improving things, my eyes still feel irritated, dry, and I still touch them way too much because i can feel the secretions coming out, and because I tough them they get infected. It seems like a vicious cylce, and like the chicken and the egg post I can't figure out what is going on. Also I feel like the blepharitis is new and am annoyed that i got a chronic condition after some of my treatments began. Also I notice the crusting on my eyelashes usually only after I use Refresh liquigel and that worries me.

I'm sorry if this is not coherent, I feel very lost and frustrated at this whole problem.

[sabeena78]

One more strange thing I've noticed is that I feel a little better on the days I wear contacts - even though I'm not supposed to wear them often - because I'm less likely to touch my eyes, whereas when I wear my glasses I touch them constantly.

[sabeena78]

Sorry, I just wanted to add that the hot compress seems to help me most, but it is so temporary - helps for ten mins or so. also i think the doctors agree - but this is unclear - that the problem is in the oily layer of my tears. if anyone has more suggestions pls let me know. i also recently started using sterilid which is good i think.

[calli66]

One more strange thing I've noticed is that I feel a little better on the days I wear contacts - even though I'm not supposed to wear them often

I have dry eyes and sometimes feel better wearing my (soft) contacts. Do you wear soft or hard contacts?

The reason your eyes might feel better in contacts is that they protect the cornea--if there are dry spots which are super-irritating, the contacts cover that up. On the other hand, the contacts can irritate, aggravate, and perpetuate chronic problems: slight bacterial infections, abrasion, protein-reaction/allergies.

Sounds to me like you have so many things going on with your eyes right now, that wearing contacts might not be a good thing. Like you, I touch my eyes too much, and prefer wearing contacts. But sometimes you just can't--please follow your eye doctor's recommendations.

The crusty residue from gels is pretty normal--don't worry too much about that--it's not coming from you eyes. The extra goop and mucous IS coming from your eyes--the secretions are normal but not in the right proportions. I get extra white stringy mucous and blobs all the time--carry clean tissues to blot with instead of digging in with your fingertips.

You've come to the right place for dry eye support--hang in there. Things will get better.
C66

[sazy123]

Hi and welcome to the dryeye zone.

Your situation with allergies and MGD sounds abit like mine. It is abit of a what came first senaro, is it the allergies causing the dry eye or the dry eye aggravating pre existing allergies by not having sufficient tears to wash away allergans and causing more friction of the lids. Im still not sure what is happening in my case. I am also on patonal and am getting an allergy test. Have you had an allergy test so that you can eliminate allergans if necessary? Dr latkany told me the best thing is to eliminate the allergan rather relying on only using drops.

Calli66 is right about the contacts, dr G uses a certain brand for use in dry eye as it acts like a 'bandage lenes' and protects the cornea from the environment. The cornea is the most sensetive part of the body and when one has dry eye the cornea is not protected by a healthy layer of tears so it becomes very irritated.

I also developed blepheritis a while after the dry eye so this is not unussual. But keep doing the lid scrubs twice a day and it should go. i dont have bleph anymore.

How long have you been using restasis, i was told it is supposed to help with allergies due to inflammation?

I would think the white secretions is probally MGD rather than allergies this is a symptoms many people with dry eye/ MGD experiance.

Are you using omega 3?

[sabeena78]

thanks

Thanks to both of you for the information.

I do wear soft contacts. You're probably right about not wearing them. I'm going to try to just wear them once or twice a week and not all day, but take them off when i get to work. This is silly, but I also feel more confident at work/in social settings when I have them on.

About the white secretions, that is interesting that they are from MGD, not allergies. In that case I wonder what symptoms I have from allergies - my eyes aren't itchy too much - or do allergies cause dry eyes? I am wondering if i really need the pataday, I don't feel like it does anything anyway. I know I should use tissues instead of fingers!

Thanks for the support, any other advice appreciated. I'm going to try a new (3rd!) doctor too.

[sabeena78]

omega 3

i have not been using it - i did buy the vitamin but was skeptical - does it help? i should start taking it, i guess it cannot hurt

[Guest]

Sorry, I just wanted to add that the hot compress seems to help me most, but it is so temporary - helps for ten mins or so. also i think the doctors agree - but this is unclear - that the problem is in the oily layer of my tears. if anyone has more suggestions pls let me know. i also recently started using sterilid which is good i think.

Sabeena

Like you I have found that the warm compress helps for 10 mins or so but a lot of people have reported that they get noticable improvement by doing it consistently for a number of days/weeks.

From my recollection of the posts on this BB, Blepharitis needs ongoing management, it is not something that you treat today and gone tomorrow.

Maybe the continued application of your warm compress over a period of time may provide you with more noticable relief.

Just my thoughts

Cheers

Prattstar

[sazy123]

In that case I wonder what symptoms I have from allergies - my eyes aren't itchy too much - or do allergies cause dry eyes? I am wondering if i really need the pataday, I don't feel like it does anything anyway. I know I should use tissues instead of fingers!

I do not have much itching either. So i too was sceptical that it was allergies as my symptoms are more reminisant of dry eye. But the symptoms are simular so it could be hard to notice a difference. I am trying to work this allergy thing out so im afraid i do not know alot. How long have you been using pataday? if its a while and its not helping you could give it up as it has a preservative in it (BAK) which can be harmful in dry eye.

Omega 3 has been shown be bennificial in dry eye. do a search in the supplement section.

sx