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This is my first time to post here, but I've been reading in the past several months. I had intralasik surgery in February 2013. Soon after the surgery I developed dry eyes, which was expected. I just kept using preservative free artificial drops whenever needed, usually every 15 minutes to 30 minutes. At around 3 months my eyes were still dry but I knew it took time to recover from lasik dryness and as long as I put PF artificial tears in my eyes, I was ok. At least no pain.
At about 5 months after the surgery, I started feeling burning sensation in my left eye (only) at the outer corner (only). I also noticed 2 red veins became more prominent. The burning sensation got worse towards the end of the day. I didn't want to open my eyes because of my pain. Air-conditioning absolutely kills my eyes.
And that's when I started online research and found this great community at dryeyezone.com. I diagnosed myself as a MGD patient. At my next lasik pos-op appointment, my post-op lasik doctor (not the same surgeon that performed my lasik surgery who is considered a top surgeon) agreed I had MGD based on the redveins, burning sensation and low TBUT of 4 seconds.
I was put on FML and azasite. FML brought instant relief but I know it does nothing for curing. After 3 weeks of FML (tapering down) and 10 days of azasite, my eyes seemed feeling better but the burning sensation was still there every evening, just less severe.
Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out why a clear little "bump" on the outer corner of my right eye's conjunctiva would keep showing up and then disappearing from time to time. One day morning I woke up and noticed 2 "bumps" versus 1. Looking into a magnifying mirror at certain angle I could literally see them sticking out from the surface of my eye ball and I felt obvious foreign body sensation where the "bumps" were. I suddenly realized the only thing I did differently the day before, was that I was using systane Ultra preservative free drops exclusively. I used 5 vials throughout the day, the most amount I had used that product within 24 hours. So it probably had something to do with systane ultra. With this thought, I only used fresh plus PF drops in the next 2 days, and...woo hoo! the "bumps" are gone! I stopped using systane ever since and the "bump" never came back! And the burning sensation pain is also 99% gone within the next 2 weeks. Now looking back, I realized when I started feeling burning sensation, it was when I started trying new preservative free artificial drops and started systane. For a long time I was using more than 2 or 3 different brands in a day, a combination of fresh, systane, thera tears... I tried almost all OTC drops (all preservative free. The only one with preservative is systane balance, which I soon found out eventually made the burning sensation worse and stopped using it right away) I liked some drops better than the others and Systane ultra was a keeper because they felt long-lasting but I never knew it could be irritating my eyes all this time.
Even though the burning sensation has been almost 99% gone, the red veins in my eyes are not getting a lot better. They are less easily irritated and less prominent compared with when they were worst, but more veins and more redness would easily show when my eyes are irritated (usually in air-conditioned area or after a long computer use).
I still wonder if Azasite ever helped because I only used 1 bottle which lasted 10 days. My eyes didn't feel much stinging/burning when I put the drop directly in my eyes while many members here mentioned the burning when they use azasite. The last 3 days when I was on azasite I felt pain free (for the first time within the last 4 months) and less dry but that's also when I stopped systane and only using refresh plus (and my eyes felt pain free and less dry ever since. It's been about 2 weeks so far.) I tried to get a refill but was told manufacturer ran out of it. It's been 7 days since I wasn't able to use it but my eyes remained almost pain free.) So I don't know if it's solely because I stopped using the wrong drops, or because azasite finally kicked in in the last 3 days when I was using it and felt pain free. However given the fact that I haven't been using azasite in the past 7 days and I haven't had a rebound burning sensation, I think stopping the wrong drops contributed more to solve my major problem.
Sorry for the long input and thank you for reading. So here's my summary:
Conclusion: If you have constant burning sensation, pay attention to those artificial drops you are using. Because like me, your problem may not be your meibomian or eye lids. It could simply be because your eyes are irritated by those drops, even they are preservative free.
Question:
Now I don't have burning sensation and I only need to use artifical drops every 30 minutes to 1 hour, and I definitely don't have toothpaste like meibum, but I still have red veins in my eyes that never go away (so far) and they get irritated easily, does that make me still a MGD dry eye patient? At my last post-op checkup the doctor said my TBUT is 6.
Does anybody who has a low TBUT without toothpast like meibum yet was diagnosed MGD?
Also, now that my eyes are no longer hurting just dry, if it's not going to the MGD route, I would assume (and I hope) it is "normal" dryness and would only get better and better until cured from post-lasik dryness? I know it could take 1 year or more for some lasik patients to completely recover from post-lasik dryness, and I did have a higher prescription (about -7.00 both eyes)
Any input would be much appreciated!
PS: A bit more about my meibum (stuff coming out when doing meibomian glands express):
I know as a mild/moderate dry eye sufferer, you are not supposed to squeeze/express your glands too much too often. But for self-education purpose, I have been doing glands expression occasionally to see what's coming out from the glands. I had to squeeze/pinch because typical rolling finger along the glands and press would do nothing. At first nothing came out even I tried to squeeze with some pressure. When I was on FML, one day for the first time something that's pea-sized puss-like dark yellow/amber colored came out of one gland in my right eye. Definitely not clear and free-flowing as normal meibum should be. I knew my glands were not healthy at that point. Later the meibum was yellow/gold color (lighter than amber color) but not clear and more glands could be expressed. Most recently my meibum is definitely normal in color and mostly clear when my eyes are pain free and less dry now that I stopped using systane drops.
But this makes me think, systane drops may have irritated my eyes causing the burning sensation and inflammation, could stop using them even makes my glands healthier? Purhaps yes, because when our eyes are less flimflammed, the glands will less blocked and work normally thus producing healthier glands? OR, could it be the week-long use of Asasite that helped? Any thoughts about this?
PPS: Even my eyes feel better and less dry, despite the easily irritated red veins that don't go away, my out corner conjunctiva in both eyes are slightly puffy/swollen looking. If I look into a magnifying mirror and look aside, the out corner of my conjunctiva in both eyes would kind of wrinkle. I don't think it's as severe as conjunctivochalasis (redundant conjunctiva), but is this normal with dry eyes? Is your outer conjunctiva puffy and wrinkled when you turn your eyeball to look at the outer/ear side?
Sorry if there's any language glitch. English is not my mother language.
Thanks again for reading. :-)
At about 5 months after the surgery, I started feeling burning sensation in my left eye (only) at the outer corner (only). I also noticed 2 red veins became more prominent. The burning sensation got worse towards the end of the day. I didn't want to open my eyes because of my pain. Air-conditioning absolutely kills my eyes.
And that's when I started online research and found this great community at dryeyezone.com. I diagnosed myself as a MGD patient. At my next lasik pos-op appointment, my post-op lasik doctor (not the same surgeon that performed my lasik surgery who is considered a top surgeon) agreed I had MGD based on the redveins, burning sensation and low TBUT of 4 seconds.
I was put on FML and azasite. FML brought instant relief but I know it does nothing for curing. After 3 weeks of FML (tapering down) and 10 days of azasite, my eyes seemed feeling better but the burning sensation was still there every evening, just less severe.
Meanwhile, I was trying to figure out why a clear little "bump" on the outer corner of my right eye's conjunctiva would keep showing up and then disappearing from time to time. One day morning I woke up and noticed 2 "bumps" versus 1. Looking into a magnifying mirror at certain angle I could literally see them sticking out from the surface of my eye ball and I felt obvious foreign body sensation where the "bumps" were. I suddenly realized the only thing I did differently the day before, was that I was using systane Ultra preservative free drops exclusively. I used 5 vials throughout the day, the most amount I had used that product within 24 hours. So it probably had something to do with systane ultra. With this thought, I only used fresh plus PF drops in the next 2 days, and...woo hoo! the "bumps" are gone! I stopped using systane ever since and the "bump" never came back! And the burning sensation pain is also 99% gone within the next 2 weeks. Now looking back, I realized when I started feeling burning sensation, it was when I started trying new preservative free artificial drops and started systane. For a long time I was using more than 2 or 3 different brands in a day, a combination of fresh, systane, thera tears... I tried almost all OTC drops (all preservative free. The only one with preservative is systane balance, which I soon found out eventually made the burning sensation worse and stopped using it right away) I liked some drops better than the others and Systane ultra was a keeper because they felt long-lasting but I never knew it could be irritating my eyes all this time.
Even though the burning sensation has been almost 99% gone, the red veins in my eyes are not getting a lot better. They are less easily irritated and less prominent compared with when they were worst, but more veins and more redness would easily show when my eyes are irritated (usually in air-conditioned area or after a long computer use).
I still wonder if Azasite ever helped because I only used 1 bottle which lasted 10 days. My eyes didn't feel much stinging/burning when I put the drop directly in my eyes while many members here mentioned the burning when they use azasite. The last 3 days when I was on azasite I felt pain free (for the first time within the last 4 months) and less dry but that's also when I stopped systane and only using refresh plus (and my eyes felt pain free and less dry ever since. It's been about 2 weeks so far.) I tried to get a refill but was told manufacturer ran out of it. It's been 7 days since I wasn't able to use it but my eyes remained almost pain free.) So I don't know if it's solely because I stopped using the wrong drops, or because azasite finally kicked in in the last 3 days when I was using it and felt pain free. However given the fact that I haven't been using azasite in the past 7 days and I haven't had a rebound burning sensation, I think stopping the wrong drops contributed more to solve my major problem.
Sorry for the long input and thank you for reading. So here's my summary:
Conclusion: If you have constant burning sensation, pay attention to those artificial drops you are using. Because like me, your problem may not be your meibomian or eye lids. It could simply be because your eyes are irritated by those drops, even they are preservative free.
Question:
Now I don't have burning sensation and I only need to use artifical drops every 30 minutes to 1 hour, and I definitely don't have toothpaste like meibum, but I still have red veins in my eyes that never go away (so far) and they get irritated easily, does that make me still a MGD dry eye patient? At my last post-op checkup the doctor said my TBUT is 6.
Does anybody who has a low TBUT without toothpast like meibum yet was diagnosed MGD?
Also, now that my eyes are no longer hurting just dry, if it's not going to the MGD route, I would assume (and I hope) it is "normal" dryness and would only get better and better until cured from post-lasik dryness? I know it could take 1 year or more for some lasik patients to completely recover from post-lasik dryness, and I did have a higher prescription (about -7.00 both eyes)
Any input would be much appreciated!
PS: A bit more about my meibum (stuff coming out when doing meibomian glands express):
I know as a mild/moderate dry eye sufferer, you are not supposed to squeeze/express your glands too much too often. But for self-education purpose, I have been doing glands expression occasionally to see what's coming out from the glands. I had to squeeze/pinch because typical rolling finger along the glands and press would do nothing. At first nothing came out even I tried to squeeze with some pressure. When I was on FML, one day for the first time something that's pea-sized puss-like dark yellow/amber colored came out of one gland in my right eye. Definitely not clear and free-flowing as normal meibum should be. I knew my glands were not healthy at that point. Later the meibum was yellow/gold color (lighter than amber color) but not clear and more glands could be expressed. Most recently my meibum is definitely normal in color and mostly clear when my eyes are pain free and less dry now that I stopped using systane drops.
But this makes me think, systane drops may have irritated my eyes causing the burning sensation and inflammation, could stop using them even makes my glands healthier? Purhaps yes, because when our eyes are less flimflammed, the glands will less blocked and work normally thus producing healthier glands? OR, could it be the week-long use of Asasite that helped? Any thoughts about this?
PPS: Even my eyes feel better and less dry, despite the easily irritated red veins that don't go away, my out corner conjunctiva in both eyes are slightly puffy/swollen looking. If I look into a magnifying mirror and look aside, the out corner of my conjunctiva in both eyes would kind of wrinkle. I don't think it's as severe as conjunctivochalasis (redundant conjunctiva), but is this normal with dry eyes? Is your outer conjunctiva puffy and wrinkled when you turn your eyeball to look at the outer/ear side?
Sorry if there's any language glitch. English is not my mother language.
Thanks again for reading. :-)
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