which kind of MD more specialized in Ocular Rosacea

[catlover]

would it be a dermatologist or opthamologist? It seems like it is one of those things that kind of falls in the cracks.

[mjf79]

I found an opthamologist who specialized in dry eye and was very knowledgable about ocular rosacea....I've been to a few who were not however. I would find one who specialized in that area. A dermatologist probably wouldn't look very thouroughly into your eyes, although they could prescribe rosacea meds (doxy) that could clear up your eyes.

[Rebecca Petris]

It seems like it is one of those things that kind of falls in the cracks.

That's exactly the case. But I agree with mjf. I'd definitely stick with an ophthalmologist that is dermatology-smart. Unfortunately they're not listed in the phone book. Word-of-mouth referral is pretty much the only way to go.

I wish I knew somebody in/near Arkansas who's got a reputation for this. You might want to call Focus Labs - they're based in North Little Rock and their product is FreshKote, so they work exclusively with dry eye doctors and so I would think if anybody knows dry eye docs in Arkansas well, it's the Arkansas based companies with dry eye products.

[skygoddess]

I struggle with this all the time. It's so frustrating some times.
I just go to both regularly. I found controlling my rosacea is definitely a plus for my eyes, and a good dermatologist is a must.

They won't touch your eye problems however, with a ten foot pole.
A really good one however, can help you with your lids.
They have also been a great help for identifying my specific allergy components.

Eye Drs I've seen seem to think Doxy is all there is to Rosacea treatment.
Thats just not so at all.
There are a lot of different things a Dermatologist can try,
Protopic ointment has pretty much cleared 99% of my visible signs.
My Dr's tried several creams before Protopic.

My eye Dr's only concern seem to be my corneas.

[alisonW]

skygoddess - where do you use the protopic? on your lids? TIA!

[skygoddess]

Lids and all over my face.
My eyes seemed better. The lids look much better for sure. Took about two weeks to notice a lessening of redness.

A girl at work told me that her Dr gave her protopic for very badly chapped lips.
I thought that was interesting since I have chapped lips from hell also.
I wonder if the dry lips and dry eyes are connected?

[skygoddess]

Just found someone else who had posted about protopic.

Here is his post

I have had a problem with parchment-like eye lids that itched and burned.The usual round of doctors ensued with opinions ranging from belpharitis to the normal againg process. After a lenghtly trial of lid compresses, eye drops, diet, etc. with no resolution I did a ten minute web search and found the correct diagnosis--atopic dermatitis (exzema). I asked my care provider for a prescription of protopic ointment, applied twice daily and within two days have resolution of the problem. This is an ointment that is safe to use around the eyes and has been studied in the Journal of Opthamology so it is quite legit. The optomotorists and opthomologists don't seem to be current in their information. I hope this helps others to suffer from this condition.