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Update- Dr. Yee/Houston/Probing Experience

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  • Update- Dr. Yee/Houston/Probing Experience

    Hello - some of you may have seen my recent dry eye story and posts about visiting Dr. Richard Yee in Houston. Since that post I have seen Dr. Yee 3 times and had probing a week ago today on 1 eye.

    Probing experience - my upper lid was much more sensitive than my lower lid. It's not a pleasant experience, but I heard many "popping" sounds so at least you feel like something helpful is happening. Dr Yee spent about 2 hours probing 1 eye and used a 2 mm probe then a 4 mm probe and then did Lipiflow.

    Lipiflow - not painful but seems like a total waste and I can't believe how much people are charging. (Dr. Yee throws this in as part of his probing treatment) Seems like hot compresses work in a similar fashion and I didn't see anything dramatic happen after the procedure. I've actually had more oil come out after using the compresses than Lipiflow.

    Meds - I'm still on Spironolactone and Daspone 4X day for 1 more week, then 2X day. He also put me on a testosterone drop which I can take up to 4X day right now.

    Punctal Plugs - I had these put in the lower lids about a year ago but had Dr Yee remove. One punctal plug developed a growth around it and was sore so I had Dr. Yee take both of them out because I never noticed a difference to begin with. (14 and 17 Schrimers)

    How am I doing now? I'm not 100% sure if it's the testosterone drops, continued use of S and D meds OR the punctal plugs being removed but before I went in for probing the inflammation in my eyes were a lot better. (which the redness was my #1 concern) My eyes still get red, but when I'm in optimal conditions (not in a store or office) they actually look somewhat normal which is a HUGE win for me. Probing - I can tell zero difference at this point. I'm still somewhat holding out hope, but a week out has provided no change.

    Next steps - I'll go back to see Dr. Yee in a couple months and will continue with the meds. If by some miracle my right eye starts looking white with less veins, I would RUN back to see Dr. Yee again for probing in my other eye but based on the past week I'm doubtful that will happen. Dr. Yee did not recommend the chalsis surgery on my 2nd appointment as he said it wasn't bad enough, but we will continue to monitor. I'm open to that surgery if it will help me.

    Hopefully this helps someone with their journey!

  • #2
    Dr. Yee is so predictable. He has all his patients on the same treatment plan and with a low success rate.
    The research to support use of Spiro, Daspone, and testosterone for dry eyes is limited.

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    • #3
      Thanks for the update. Glad to know your HUGE win.
      LipiFlow did help me about 65%, normally it takes 1-1.5 months to see the result.

      If I may ask, are you taking Xiidra or Restasis? If so, why?. Thanks again.

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      • #4
        No, I'm not. I tried Xiidra and Restasis in the past with no effect, which makes sense because my issue is oil. I'm happy to hear it takes longer to see full results. I'm only 1 week out so if you say it takes longer, I'll still hold out hope! All I want is these veins to be GONE or at least to be very small and less noticeable. Dr. Yee did not promise this will happen but did say patients have reported less redness after probing and lipiflow.

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        • #5
          Thanks.
          Saline rinses
          Mind sharing the exact instructions from Prof. Yee? How many drops per eye and how often per day?

          Thanks again.
          Last edited by MGD1701; 07-Mar-2019, 05:08.

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          • #6
            Hi , I have oil issues as well , and I am on combo Xiidra and Restasis and it has helped me. It might take awhile for the drugs to kick in, you might still want to give them a try. Have you tried IPL as well, seems like you might have an inflammation problem , I found IPL to help me immensely .

            May I ask are you female (asking because you are taking Testosterone drops). Did you get your hormones checked?

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            • #7
              Hi Dryeyetejasgirl ; you referred to your previous post but since you seem as a guest in that post people cannot find it, so I put the link:

              http://forum.dryeyezone.com/forum/dr...-probing/page2

              I have permanent red veins due to long term contact lense use, accutane and antidepressants; which are always getting more and more. I hope you can find a solution for them..

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              • #8
                Saline rinses - Dr. Yee recommends blinking exercises with a saline rinse after, but I barely have time to try and keep up with putting in all these drops so I do blinking exercises when I remember and don't do the saline rinses. The D & S drugs - 4X a day for the first 2 weeks after probing, then 2X day.

                Testosterone Drops - 4X day for now. I'm a female and am not thrilled about taking testosterone, but I really think it's the only drop that has made a slight difference in controlling my eye veins/redness. It's not without side effects - for example my skin is broken out and I found a black hair on my face, assuming this is the drops. Yes, I had my hormones checked and they were normal.

                Xiiadra and Restasis - ZERO improvement- I tried Xiiadra 3 times and Restasis once and was on them for months before I gave up hope.

                IPL - No, I haven't tried this. If someone says it made their permanent red veins go away I'm willing to try it

                Probing - I'm 2 weeks out now and I can feel a difference in the comfort level of the eye I had probing vs. the eye I didn't have probed. I think I have been so used to the dryness I stopped feeling it, but now I can tell a difference since I had 1 eye probed.

                At the end of the day, it's not about comfort because I never really felt that uncomfortable to begin with.

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