the saga continues

[fishingpaul]

Hi everyone,

Since my last post (just got told i had dry eyes) i have had to put in VISCOTEARS every hour just about as my eyes dry out really bad, not helped that i work outdoors......anyway, i tried to get to see my opthamologist before my next official appointment as my eyes were doing my head in, but they wouldnt see me until my proper appointment date....so i went back to the doctors who took some bloods, they came back with raised ANA which i think is anti-body stuff, so with me having eye problems, one of the doctors said i had SJORGRENS so i thought ok....lets get on with it.........anyway i went back again because the doctor who issued the blood test wanted to see me, i told her what the other doctor said and she said, yes it could possibly be SJORGRENS but there is a small chance the raised ANA may be normal for me, so she has refered me to a RHEUMATOLOGIST to find out if it is SJORGRENS or secondry or just normal for me..............in between this i went back to the opthamologist and told him all this and he said that i have to have PUNTCUAL PLUGS fitted to block my tear ducts... so at the minute im waiting for the appointment to have the plugs fitted and waiting for the rheumatology appointment..............and my eyes are really getting me down, thing is one of my eyes is drier that the other, so one eye looks okish and the other i have always got like a dehydration line under my eye, it goes to a certain degree when i put the VISCOTEARS in then it comes back again quick, it makes me very self concious, and makes me look tired.....its especially noticable as the other eye hasn't got one, anyone else suffer from those lines????? and is it common for one eye to be worse that the other???? god i hope it gets sorted soon...........

thanks
PAUL x

[calli66]

It's all pretty confusing, this dry eye stuff. Not as many men have Sjogren's as women, so doctors seldom consider it. Sounds like your doctors are doing all the right tests, though.

In the meantime, you could try moisture chamber glasses (search the term here on Dry Eye Zone) which should help when you're outdoors. Using a thick gel and a sleep mask at night helps calm down your eyes and can help them feel better during the day.

Yes, it's pretty common for one eye to be drier than the other----for me, it's my right eye that's worse.

As for the embarrassment regarding the appearance of red, dry eyes----it's something you just have to accept, eventually. What matters more is how your eyes feel. I don't think most people linger on the appearance of another person's eyes. They might think about it in the moment, but it's not significant.

Plugs might help you, so give that a try. Get the ones where you can see the "heads" ---not the ones that disappear into the tear duct. That way, they can be removed if they don't work out.

Keep reading this forum and the website here---there's TONS of information. Also, you might be interested in browsing the Sjogren's World.org forum here. There are a few men who post there and you can get more info about Sjogren's if it turns out you have that.

Calli
(Sjogren's, Hashimoto's, dry eye)

[Lucy]

Hi Paul-
One thing that might make sense is that when you have dry eyes, it really doesn't matter if it's caused by Sjogrens or something else (blepharitis, etc).

The "fix" is the same. This board is pretty much all about dry eyes and the ways we handle them. There is only so much one can do. Plugs, compresses, lots of artificial tears, gels at night, goggles. See your doctor often to see what he can come up with to help.

It's good to find out if you have Sjogrens, but it won't make a difference on treatment of your eyes.

I'm lasik dry eye and also Sjogrens. Lucy