Why does dry eye cause eyelashes to fall out?

[rubyslippers]

My Synergeyes still keep me 99% symptom free when they are in. When they are out, I can wear glasses about an hour before I start getting quite uncomfortable.

Before the Synergyes, hot compresses, flaxseed, and all, I had my eyelashes falling out all over the place. Within a few months of my "fix" my eyelashes came in more lush than they were when I was 20 years old.

This week I had to take a medication for 2 days and we knew that even with my Synergeyes (because I am not cured, just well-managed) my eyes would become miserably dry and they did. I am off the meds and back to normal now thankfully. But, I did lose a bunch of eyelashes from each eye with a couple of days.

Does anyone know why this happens?

[kitty]

Loss of lashes is often associated with ocular rosacea, which is an inflammatory disorder. I suspect lash loss could occur with any sort of inflammation, as like that associated with taking medications that have dry eye side effects. Just a theory.

[lilahp]

Glad to hear that you are still doing well with your Synergeyes. Do you have any advice as to how to get our eye docs to try them? Your doctor is so advanced!

[rubyslippers]

I have no signs of ocular rosecea, so that is not it for me.

I would switch doctors if I knew there were something out there and he would not provide it. There are several doctors in this area as well as 50 miles away in another clinic now using them.

[sazy123]

My eyelashes were falling out really badly a while ago- but this was when i had bad bleph- once i treated that twice a day and the majority cleared up, eyelashes stoped falling out. Im still left with bad MGD but blepth and eyelashes ok now.

[seltzer]

I am new to this place...but this post on eyelashes caught my attention. Mine have been chronically falling out for many years. I am so fed up and distraught and feel so hopeless. Of course I have many other eye symptoms as well: dry eye, MGD, redness, bleph, etc. It sucks. I am faithful about my lid hygiene (twice daily compresses for 10 min. and SteriLid eye scrub) and this has helped...BUT the only thing that gets it under control is Tobradex. I'll be OK for a little while and then BAM, the lashes start coming out and my lids get extremely red. A course of Tobradex is the only way I can (gradually) stop a bout of the lashes coming out. I am at my wit's end. I wish I had an answer as to why they fall out, or what would stop them from falling out. Maybe I have ocular rosasea and don't know it. Does anyone know what exactly "inflammation" means? It seems like such a broad term and I'm not sure how exactly it is causing lashes to fall out, whether it's from ocular rosacea or just MGD. What exactly is going on in the eyelid when inflammation strikes, and why would this cause lashes to come out?

[seltzer]

Rubyslippers - I forgot to ask you what synergeyes are and why you have them. Is it solely because of synergeyes that your lashes have stopped falling out?

[rubyslippers]

No the Synergeyes have nothing to do with the eyelashes. Before I had them I was almost eyelashless at times. Synergeyes are special contacts that have a gas permeable center surrounded by a soft skirt. They lift the center a tiny bit, trapping a pool of moisture on the eye. The skirt holds them up and keeps them comfortable. My dry eye is as bad as ever, but ONLY when I am not wearing the Synergeyes. Even a short time in glasses has me in misery. My eye condition, according to the doctor has not improved, BUT I am almost 100% comfortable and see clearly when my Synergeyes contacts are in my eyes. I am so fearful of being without them that I carry a spare pair with me whenever away from home.

Now and then I do get a slight sensation of dryness or burning. I just pop them out and put about half a vial of Refresh Plus in them and I am good to go. I am back to hiking. Just came back from a bike ride and it is kind of windy here. I wear them about 16 hours a day. I can also sleep in them for short naps will no ill effects.

For me, they have been a miracle and my life is completely normal again WHILE I have them in my eyes.

[lilahp]

You should talk to the Synergeyes people about expanding the usage of their product! This could be a godsend to many. I've asked two eye docs so far for them, and both said no. They seem to think that they are just like regular contact lenses.

Thank you so much for keeping us posted. I am on the lookout for another doc soon to try.

[rubyslippers]

I know of at least 6 people who have gotten the very same results as I have. It is not a fluke. My doctor said it is very basic why they work so well for dry eye.

[lilahp]

Would you or he be interested in posting why they work so well, so that those of us with doctors who are not quite so enlightened might have something on paper to show them?

I asked the Synergeyes folks, and they so far have been somewhat unresponsive to changing how they publicize their product, for some reason. I would really like to try these, and am going to have to go out-of-town again to try to do so. Even so, that might not work.

As another alternative, would there be an article in a medical journal that you all might know of? If not, I understand!

I refuse to give up on these! You've done so well, and it makes logical sense to me the way you have told it.