Ocusoft and itchy eyelids?

[zuzu70]

So, I went to a local optometrist who has some specialized training in dry eye stuff, and in addition to both my right puncta being too large from my punctal snip, he also diagnosed me with low meniscus in my right eye, low TBUT (5 or 6) in both eyes, and MGD in both eyes (toothpasty secretions in some glands a 2-3 on a 1-4 scale). He prescribed restasis ($258 for a 30 day supply AFTER my insurance kicked in a generous $25!), warm compress massages, and eyelid margin scrubs with ocusoft.

Although I'm bummed to find out that my "good" eye has issues too, I'm glad I'm with someone who seems to know what he's doing. Our current plan is to start the lid hygiene regime and restasis now, and in three months when my punctal snips are 100% healed and have no chance of further tightening, insert a 30-day dissolvable plug in the bad eye's lower punctum. If the plug helps, he will refer me for cautery of lower punctum (because he thinks my snipped puncta are too large for an umbrella plug to stay in).

Could I please get some feedback on the following?

1. Since I started with the ocusoft lid margin cleaning, my right eye lower lid margin has been really itchy...like, I'll have to scratch it with my fingernail right on the lashline to relieve the itch. I'm not sure if it's the Ocusoft causing this, or if an undiagnosed seasonal allergy has kicked in, or what. I do recall having the same eyelid margin itchiness in the past (long before Ocusoft and dry eye days), and it's in the same part of my lid margin that I have a notch from an atrophied meibomian gland. Any insight?

2. Does this doctor's proposed game-plan sound reasonable, or do you see any red flags?

3. If restasis helps, I'd like to pursue a compounded version, both because of cost and because I saw the study on the castor oil being cytotoxic. Any leads on where I should go for this? I'm in Wisconsin.

[bvendig]

occusoft/itching

Maybe you're already doing this but i find with occusoft that i do better when i rinse my eyes in the shower rather than just splashing water on my lids/face to rinse off the occusoft.
i stand under the shower for about a minute letting it spray directly into my eyes after i use the lidscrub.
When i don't do that...when i just splash water on my face in the sink, then i often have itching during the day.
hugs, betty

So, I went to a local optometrist who has some specialized training in dry eye stuff, and in addition to both my right puncta being too large from my punctal snip, he also diagnosed me with low meniscus in my right eye, low TBUT (5 or 6) in both eyes, and MGD in both eyes (toothpasty secretions in some glands a 2-3 on a 1-4 scale). He prescribed restasis ($258 for a 30 day supply AFTER my insurance kicked in a generous $25!), warm compress massages, and eyelid margin scrubs with ocusoft.

Although I'm bummed to find out that my "good" eye has issues too, I'm glad I'm with someone who seems to know what he's doing. Our current plan is to start the lid hygiene regime and restasis now, and in three months when my punctal snips are 100% healed and have no chance of further tightening, insert a 30-day dissolvable plug in the bad eye's lower punctum. If the plug helps, he will refer me for cautery of lower punctum (because he thinks my snipped puncta are too large for an umbrella plug to stay in).

Could I please get some feedback on the following?

1. Since I started with the ocusoft lid margin cleaning, my right eye lower lid margin has been really itchy...like, I'll have to scratch it with my fingernail right on the lashline to relieve the itch. I'm not sure if it's the Ocusoft causing this, or if an undiagnosed seasonal allergy has kicked in, or what. I do recall having the same eyelid margin itchiness in the past (long before Ocusoft and dry eye days), and it's in the same part of my lid margin that I have a notch from an atrophied meibomian gland. Any insight?

2. Does this doctor's proposed game-plan sound reasonable, or do you see any red flags?

3. If restasis helps, I'd like to pursue a compounded version, both because of cost and because I saw the study on the castor oil being cytotoxic. Any leads on where I should go for this? I'm in Wisconsin.

[zuzu70]

Awful reaction from restasis

Okay, so I started the restasis Thursday evening. I did it in just my bad (punctal snip) eye, because I wanted a "control" eye until I knew how restasis was going to feel. I was delighted that there was no burning, and my eyes felt good Thursday evening. But Friday during the day (after my second restasis dose), I started to feel pain when I blinked, in only the restasis eye. I was wearing sunglasses at an outdoor event, so no one saw my eyes including myself. But when I got home I looked in the mirror, and my lower eyelid is massively swollen. The tissue in back of the lower lid (conjuntiva? the pink stuff) is blood-red. It sort of comes to a head in one of my MG outlets I think, but the swollen area is at least 2 square inches. One of the side effects, experienced in 1 to 5 percent of patients, is "conjunctival hyperemia," and I think I've got that for sure. Needless to say, I've stopped the restasis. I've been cold compressing like nuts, but it only tames it for a half hour and then it's back on fire, it hurts so bad. I'm nervous that this is going to wreck more meibomian glands. Ugh.