Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Extremely Severe Dry Eye Post-Accutane

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Extremely Severe Dry Eye Post-Accutane

    Hi all,

    It has been 4 years since my last dose of Accutane and I have accepted that my eyes are not going to recover, so I am doing my best to cope. I have plugs and have tried Restasis, but unfortunately Restasis irritated my eyes to no end and I am actually now taking FML steroid drops to try to calm my poor, withered, abused eyes back down. The best drop I have found so far is Optive, which I am pretty much throwing into my eyes on an hourly basis. My doc told me to use preservative-free drops but I absolutely can't because they just about literally don't do anything for me; my dry eye is too sever. I just ordered Dwelle from the Dry Eye Shop, however, so I am going to give that a try as well. I am getting treated at Mass Eye and Ear in Boston and my doctor thinks that Boston Sceral Lenses might be a good next step; I agree. I know that no amount of warm compresses or Fish & Flax oil is going to bring my normal tear film back. I know I cannot completely blame my derm for this; I should have been more careful about going on mutliple courses of Accutane, but I can't help but feel infuriated by the fact that my doctor absolutely assured me this would not happen; he definitively told me that Accutane would not result in long-term dry eye and, as a naive teenager desperate to get rid of insufferable acne, I blindly believed him. Anyway, I just wanted to reach out to any other post-Accutane severe dry eye sufferers out there to let you know you are not alone and hopefully to compare notes as we struggle though this together.

    I was telling my family that it feels like my eyes are in a constant fight against the world; they lash out violently against wind, light, smoke, and well, air in general I suppose. Pretty much they consider anything that comes into contact with them their enemy, well, except humidity -- that is their only friend. This is definitely an up-hill battle but we CANNOT submit to this terrible disease which is 1000 more debilitating than acne!

    So, fellow post-Accutane sufferers, are you out there?

  • #2
    It's been 3 years since my last dose. It's curious I did not notice any dryness during the treatment but right after I stopped Accutane I could notice how easily my eyes used to get irritated. I bought a pair of sunglasses and I was Ok for 2 years. Last year, my Bleph started to show some real signs like big amounts of grease coming out of my eyes in the mornings. Lid scrubs solved that, I could never feel my eyes comfortable again though. The dryness that I feel is exasperating and no drop can take that away.

    It's normal that oil production decreases during an Accutane curse. I don't think Accutane by itself can lead to DE/Chronic Blepharitis. But what really scares me is the fact that Accutane could have triggered something that consequently altered our meibomian glands, the way they are supposed to work and their oils composition.

    I don't know man, trust me, I've tried so hard to find an explanation, but there isn't. Don't blame yourself. Don't get stuck, move forward...the sooner you swallow the toad, the better for you

    Comment


    • #3
      Originally posted by DryEyeSurvivor26 View Post
      Hi all,

      It has been 4 years since my last dose of Accutane and I have accepted that my eyes are not going to recover, so I am doing my best to cope. I have plugs and have tried Restasis, but unfortunately Restasis irritated my eyes to no end and I am actually now taking FML steroid drops to try to calm my poor, withered, abused eyes back down. The best drop I have found so far is Optive, which I am pretty much throwing into my eyes on an hourly basis. My doc told me to use preservative-free drops but I absolutely can't because they just about literally don't do anything for me; my dry eye is too sever. I just ordered Dwelle from the Dry Eye Shop, however, so I am going to give that a try as well. I am getting treated at Mass Eye and Ear in Boston and my doctor thinks that Boston Sceral Lenses might be a good next step; I agree. I know that no amount of warm compresses or Fish & Flax oil is going to bring my normal tear film back. I know I cannot completely blame my derm for this; I should have been more careful about going on mutliple courses of Accutane, but I can't help but feel infuriated by the fact that my doctor absolutely assured me this would not happen; he definitively told me that Accutane would not result in long-term dry eye and, as a naive teenager desperate to get rid of insufferable acne, I blindly believed him. Anyway, I just wanted to reach out to any other post-Accutane severe dry eye sufferers out there to let you know you are not alone and hopefully to compare notes as we struggle though this together.

      I was telling my family that it feels like my eyes are in a constant fight against the world; they lash out violently against wind, light, smoke, and well, air in general I suppose. Pretty much they consider anything that comes into contact with them their enemy, well, except humidity -- that is their only friend. This is definitely an up-hill battle but we CANNOT submit to this terrible disease which is 1000 more debilitating than acne!

      So, fellow post-Accutane sufferers, are you out there?
      2 things: Keep looking for a preservative free drop that you like. Using too many preservative eye drops throughout the day can have a terrible effect on your eyes. I noticed a big difference when I stop using drops that contained preservatives. (Dwelle would be the exception to this rule) Also, sometimes using eye drops too much can have a negative effect as well. Keep trying new things, I am a post-Accutane sufferer as well and I know that if you find the right regimen your eyes will start to feel better.

      Comment


      • #4
        hey, i'm in the same boat. hello. be happy.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by DryEyeSurvivor26 View Post
          Hi all,

          It has been 4 years since my last dose of Accutane and I have accepted that my eyes are not going to recover, so I am doing my best to cope. I have plugs and have tried Restasis, but unfortunately Restasis irritated my eyes to no end and I am actually now taking FML steroid drops to try to calm my poor, withered, abused eyes back down. The best drop I have found so far is Optive, which I am pretty much throwing into my eyes on an hourly basis. My doc told me to use preservative-free drops but I absolutely can't because they just about literally don't do anything for me; my dry eye is too sever. I just ordered Dwelle from the Dry Eye Shop, however, so I am going to give that a try as well. I am getting treated at Mass Eye and Ear in Boston and my doctor thinks that Boston Sceral Lenses might be a good next step; I agree. I know that no amount of warm compresses or Fish & Flax oil is going to bring my normal tear film back. I know I cannot completely blame my derm for this; I should have been more careful about going on mutliple courses of Accutane, but I can't help but feel infuriated by the fact that my doctor absolutely assured me this would not happen; he definitively told me that Accutane would not result in long-term dry eye and, as a naive teenager desperate to get rid of insufferable acne, I blindly believed him. Anyway, I just wanted to reach out to any other post-Accutane severe dry eye sufferers out there to let you know you are not alone and hopefully to compare notes as we struggle though this together.

          I was telling my family that it feels like my eyes are in a constant fight against the world; they lash out violently against wind, light, smoke, and well, air in general I suppose. Pretty much they consider anything that comes into contact with them their enemy, well, except humidity -- that is their only friend. This is definitely an up-hill battle but we CANNOT submit to this terrible disease which is 1000 more debilitating than acne!

          So, fellow post-Accutane sufferers, are you out there?
          Hi,how are you?Would u mind me askin if ur eyes have improved much over the last 5 months?Im quite anxious to keep up to date with peoples progress as i have the same condition post accutane.
          thanks a lot
          A

          Comment


          • #6
            Hi guys. Does anyone still keep tabs on this thread. I have dry eyes and I'm six weeks post cutting my course short? Did anyone recover?

            Comment

            Working...
            X