What is the Systemic Root Cause?

[DryInUpstateNY]

Hi, i'm a newbie and i'm sure this is an old question, but as an engineer and scientifically inclined person, there has to be a systemic issue here.

I have ATD and no MGD. As the ophthalmologist stated, "It's inflammation that is causing your lacrimal gland to produce less tears". Fine. What causes the inflammation? I'm racking my brain here. It's cause and effect, so which is the cause?

Exposed eye to elements inflames the eye because of low amount of tears. The environment can't be the root cause. It is definitely a catalyst but not the root cause. Wind and light didn't bother me before but now it does due to this damned lacrimal gland decreasing performance.

Is it diet?
Is it because I'm very allergic to dust and grass?

I used to get very sick all the time like I was dying before allergy shots. After shots I felt amazing. Now I stopped shots earlier this year and have developed this inflammation 3+ months after stopping. Am I foolish in thinking/hoping that the root cause is my body's reaction to allergens like dust now?

Has ANYONE here taken shots and alleviated most of their dry eye symptoms?
Are you ATD or MGD or both? Does it make a difference which form of dry eye you have when it comes to allergy or is it just a general case of inflammation, regardless of which one?

Again, I apologize if I'm ignorant about it but this is maddening. I wish I was a billionaire to pump money into researching this damned issue.

Just to recap: I have had NO LASIK, NO changes in my life, no meds, no nothing... Only change was stopping shots and this inflammation ensued months after in what seems like a weeks time. Like "that" it was nearly overnight.

[No tears in ATL]

I'd like to know as well. I'm confused also because it seems like there is a chicken and egg question here at least with aqueous deficiency/inflammation.

Is it:

Eye surfaces become dry through environmental exposures, contact lens wear, etc. --> Dryness then creates inflammatory, hypertonic "toxic" tear film --> toxic tear film paralyzes lacrimal gland and prevents it from secreting more tears --> surface inflammation then becomes worse.

OR

Is it:

Lacrimal gland becomes inflamed through unknown internal inflammatory condition --> lacrimal gland produces fewer tears ---> tears become hypertonic and "inflammatory" ---> inflamed tear film then causes more dryness and a compromised lacrimal gland.

In essence, does the dryness cause the inflammation, which creates further dryness and inflammation, OR does the inflammation alone cause the dryness?

[indrep]

Yes, no and maybe.

What causes the inflammation is the hypertonic tear film. How we individually get the hypertonic tear film is individual. Some just get older and begin to produce less tears and less lipids. We are seeing more and more people with ocular surface issues in their 30s, this is being explained by contact lens wear since the early teens. Some people have systemic issues with inflammatory diseases, diabetes, hormone changes, etc.

Like with a plant there are many feeder roots that feed the main root, there are many feeder causes to the hypertonic tear film. The good news is there are more options to help control this issue than ever before. The bad news is since each person's journey to their stage of the disease is unique, then the therapies needed to gain comfort will be different and require different amounts of time.

[William53]

I'm a hyper-allergic person with chronic eye (blepharitis and MGD) and lung conditions. In really bad shape in 2006-07m I did allergy shots for cats and dust from 2007 to 2010. Experienced awesome condition improvement within 6 months of beginning shots with all other factors, e.g., meds, staying the same. Effect lasted until earlier this year. Am now on another round of shots. At least for me, immunotherapy worked.

[MeibomianGlandman]

For Sjogren's syndrome, Tear Deficient Dry Eye on the Auto Immune Side, which means your Immune System is attacking your Lacrimal Glands, Due to allergy or Auto Immune Reaction. To Study What Causes Auto Immune Disorders we must discover what Causes a disease called Leaky Gut Syndrome. Do your research, Dr Oz. has explained and many doctors now agree that the Intestines is 90% of the immune system. When The intestines are chronically infected, or malfunctioned due to poor diet, or over use of harsh minerals in your tap water such as Fluoride or pharmaceuticals, I think that these ingredients cause perforations in the Bowels of your Intestines. In so much that the body begins attack its own tissue and the resulting Intestine infections that are often silent. Health of the intestine is normally silent too and can only be diagnosed with a stool test. I know that the number one side effect of Pharmaceutical drugs is Digestive problems. I took pharmacy school and learned that. So My guess is also that Some Vaccinations that we have had; over our life can cause auto Immune Disorders, My friend has myasthenia gravis. It is an auto Immune Disorder that Causes The Immune System to attack his Nervous System, where he has bouts of loss of Hand Eye Coordination and Total motor control. I began investigating what he did and what were his symptoms of his disease. He would always Tell me It would get worse when He would Drink Alcohol, Which made sense, Because the alcohol would go through his intestine disturbing the active infection going on. He also Explained to me that He had some Recent Vaccinations done and the Disease just Magically Appeared slightly after the fact. So I think that Somehow it has to do with the Gut and its heath, and the Fact that Some people's Immune Systems are having Reactions to the Vaccinations that aren't normal, the Immune System is building up antibodies to its own tissue because of that. If you think about it, If your body's Attacking your Lacrimal Glands or Mucus/Moisture producing glands, Maybe Its because its attacking the same type of tissues elsewhere, Maybe there's an infection in the Gut, maybe a Vaccine has caused the Receptors in the white blood cells to malfunction.

As Far as Research into these Diseases, I wouldn't expect a Billionaire to take up research, Because most investors want profits and not progress. If you want something done I would do it yourself, but Don't Expect to make any money off it either, because it takes 8 years to get it approved by the FDA. There's another snag in future progress in the Medical Industry. Big money is involved in this market, and if its bigger than your wallet, chances are, it will be just like walmart putting out of business mom and pop places. Don't expect to invent some miracle and sell it either, because the chances are of being successful competing with big money is slim, unless you got big money, That's what we call a Free Market and Capitalism, But if you do enough research its only as free as the amount of money you have in your pocket. Money seems to be talking these days, Especially to many Organizations that are supposed to be responsible for the well being of our entire society, Money keeps saying, Lets make more money, to heck with progress. Its A very bad Sad situation indeed but that's what make the world go round, not to say that no progress has been made, but much needs improvement. There are many people working on Cures for Cancer, but Most never see the light of day, due to that Treatment is more profitable than a cure, while Our loved ones and friends die all around us, someone in the back is unknowingly sitting on a pile of money.

Its the way the world is; weather most want to admit it or not, but hence why were all suffering with un-curable diseases. I know there's materials and the Knowledge to cure all the diseases in the world, but weather or not it will be profitable, is another story. That's why we live in the 21's century, some day thing will change, but I don't for see it happening in my lifetime.

Good luck my friend, maybe with enough of your own effort, you may secretly find a solution for yourself. One thing I've learned about this world is, There is no Rules, There are people in place guarding resources with guns, but if you have to ask, What truth is about money, is the fact that its merely pieces of paper that we assign a value towards.

One day maybe Humanity will wake up and embrace the Future instead of Profits, for the Future holds Amazing things, however Due to Greed, and the Lust for Power, we may not live to see it. Maybe someday the Human race will wake up from its, cave man ways and we will finally have flying cars and medical care that actually works Good luck my friend, in your endeavors don't ever give up hope, for its hope that keeps the world Alive and fuels progress.