How Do You Cope With Dry Eye?

[Phillips55]

I am relatively young yet(30) and growing up I naively believed that there were 2 types of illnesses, one in which you recovered and one in which you died. I never really thought about illnesses that do neither, but rather just suck the very joy and meaning out of life. Since I came down with severe dry eye from lasik I have looked to see how others cope. I have even looked to see how people with things like tinnitus and spinal cord injuries cope. It seems that some get on with it alright, while others can't seem to accept that their lives will ever be the same. I feel that way with my eyes. There is a few things I have yet to try, but realistically I will probably be dealing with this the rest of my life. Even If I improve, it seems a certainty that my eyes will never be the same prior to lasik. I cant read, watch tv, play video games, or do many of the things I used to. I have to wear sunglasses at night when I drive and even then it hurts because I am so sensitive to lights. I am amazed at how much of our self identity is centered around our daily activites, and because I can do so little of what I used to, I seem to be losing my sense of who I am.
Dry eye and the other problems I've had from lasik won't kill me, but it has taken away what makes life, life. I know many of you have dry eye from natural causes, but the double whammy is that I paid someone to take my occular health away from me. It fills me with anger, both at myself and the doctor who did this. I am not suicidal but living is simply a daily grind, mustering up all my energy to just get through the day. Life is no longer about building toward something, or seeking happiness. It now simply about survival. Realistically how do you cope with such a thing?

[bakunin]

Phillipis,

You are a great writer.

And I subscribe every word you wrote. That is exactly how I feel. I would add that sometimes I feel that I'm surviving, but worse than that, I'm trying don't slowly die, because the drye eyes affect our health in many ways, so it become a snow ball.

I think I don't have an answer to your question yet. I'm 39 and I'm surviving for a year and half. I think I'm trying not to be realistic as you. I think it is still difficult for me to think I will live the rest of my life this way. I'm seeking some cure or significant improvement. When the hope has gone I don't know what will be of me and my "life".

[Guest]

I cant read, watch tv, play video games, or do many of the things I used to. I have to wear sunglasses at night when I drive and even then it hurts because I am so sensitive to lights.

How long ago did you have your LASIK? What treatments have you tried? What treatments are you currently using?

Life is no longer about building toward something, or seeking happiness. It now simply about survival. Realistically how do you cope with such a thing?

If you're at the survival stage, then all you can do is just try to make NOW as tolerable as possible, plus try to distract yourself to the max (I used to use audiobooks for that... I'd listen to them for hours... I particularly liked listening to fiction where the main characters were going through something so terrible or horrifying that it made MY life seem like a cakewalk.... perhaps a dark way to make myself feel better, but it worked for me, and I listened to some pretty interesting stories!) TV can be ok too if you just listen to your favourite shows with your eyes shut, opening them to peek for a few seconds if needed to figure out what's going on.

But the survival stage WILL pass... it just takes time. And THEN, you can start to figure out what you want to build with your life, or get back to seeking happiness.

[MartyM1985]

So I didn't have LASIK, but I was essentially/kind of where you are at right now back in January. I'm 31, pretty much your age. It really sucks, I know. Hang in there.

I plan on writing my triumph once I improve more in the coming months, but I want you to know it can get better. I am in the middle of watching a movie at the moment, something I couldn't do two months ago. My light-sensitivity still isn't perfect, but it's a lot better than it used to be. It CAN get better.

Here are my four suggestions to you:

1. Get on Restasis and/or Serum drops. Actually, your message history tells me you have already done that, so good going.

2. BE PATIENT. This sucks I know, but you gotta be patient. I spent about a month and a half in the dark, listening to podcasts and calling my mom four times a day. Which brings me to...

3. Download the Giantbomb.com podcast for your phone. Start with the most recent one and listen to those to pass the time. I like video games like yourself, and these guys entertained the hell out of me and still do as I continue to recover.

4. Get your supplements going and get your diet in a healthy place.

Just try to be patient. It can get better.

[soaps]

Phillip i know exactly what you mean. Im young. i had lasik a year ago and it hurts to talk about it still. I have tried almost everything and feel sad wen i see medical specialist look so confused that Im not improving. i sometimes feel like giving them a hug as they look so worried perplexed. i am better but that is because i have given so much up like work , basic every day things so family help with most things.

I know it will get better but how far Im not sure.
Wat keeps me going is prayer and faith that God will give me strength to live each day. if i didn't have faith i ceratainly wouldn't have made it so far. i am not the same person i wasa year ago but more relaxed and carefree and can laugh at things which would have been annoying before.

Please let go of the anger once u do perhaps it will b easier.

[soaps]

Double posting .

[Phillips55]

To sagg: I have tried all the usual treatments I can think of: Doxy Restasis all 4 plugs lipiflow warm/cold compresses steroids azazite bromday pataday eyemasks antibiotics and practically every supplement listed on these boards. I do not see any expressable oils after warm compresses and no visible signs of clogged glands. Next on my list hopefully is a trip to Dr. ****** for probing. I have read that soemtimes tissue develops over the glands and his probing pops open the glands. I would also like to get a confocal microscopy to check the lasik flap for neuralgia. If all that fails I will have to try sclerals. I am still wondering how the vision quality is when your looking through a reservoir of saline.

[MartyM1985]

To sagg: I have tried all the usual treatments I can think of: Doxy Restasis all 4 plugs lipiflow warm/cold compresses steroids azazite bromday pataday eyemasks antibiotics and practically every supplement listed on these boards. I do not see any expressable oils after warm compresses and no visible signs of clogged glands. Next on my list hopefully is a trip to Dr. ****** for probing. I have read that soemtimes tissue develops over the glands and his probing pops open the glands. I would also like to get a confocal microscopy to check the lasik flap for neuralgia. If all that fails I will have to try sclerals. I am still wondering how the vision quality is when your looking through a reservoir of saline.

Rebecca of DEZ has sclerals and loves them. A dude named Mike on here is also using PROSE lenses and loves them. Someone else on this board also mentioned they "got their life back" with PROSE lenses. Have faith.

FYI, depending on where you are geographically, there are other doctors that do probing besides ******. However, ****** is probably one of the best, so he might be worth the trip.

Stay positive man. I know it's not easy. Hang in there.

[Guest]

To sagg: I have tried all the usual treatments I can think of: Doxy Restasis all 4 plugs lipiflow warm/cold compresses steroids azazite bromday pataday eyemasks antibiotics and practically every supplement listed on these boards. I do not see any expressable oils after warm compresses and no visible signs of clogged glands. Next on my list hopefully is a trip to Dr. ****** for probing. I have read that soemtimes tissue develops over the glands and his probing pops open the glands. I would also like to get a confocal microscopy to check the lasik flap for neuralgia. If all that fails I will have to try sclerals. I am still wondering how the vision quality is when your looking through a reservoir of saline.

Well, for what it's worth, what seems to have helped me was to continue on with any treatments that seemed to help (even if they only helped a tiny bit)... then, once I had my life mostly back (ie. can do most of what I want to do), I dropped some of the treatments that were no longer needed (ie. if I stopped them, it didn't set me back). Over time, I think it's the cumulative effect of all of those tiny improvements that helped. And it didn't happen quickly for me either... I gradually worked on it over 2-3 years... improving little-by-little all along...

Note on the timeline - I don't want anyone to get more depressed reading that either - is it as fast as I'd have liked? No. But in the big scheme of my life (decades more to go), it's a blip on the radar and worth putting up with a few years of crap in order to enjoy many more years of good stuff.

Confocal microscopy is an interesting thing... and I don't think it can tell us much about what treatments to pursue at this point. Here's why.

Let's say the microscope shows the nerves haven't grown back - maybe that means you will for sure have a neuropathic pain component to your troubles. But let's say the the results show that your nerves have grown back apparently normally - maybe they just aren't functioning properly and therefore THAT is causing neuropathic pain (despite the fact that they appear normal). Either way, the treatment is the same - try neuropathic pain meds and see if they help.

Ditto with dryness - regardless of what the microscope shows, the treatment will be the same - try working your way through treatments listed on the various treatment guidelines

So, if you happen to get the opportunity to have confocal microscopy done, I'd treat it as an interesting experience, but not something that will tell you for sure what to do to help your eyes. I wouldn't spend any money on it since it won't tell you for what to do treatment-wise.

The best advice I can give you is to become your own expert on treatment of dry eye. The best reading out there is in the DEWS report - it's referenced by major treatment guidelines published in other reputable journals. Might as well go straight to the source, rather than read the summaries and condensed versions elsewhere. (I'm still grateful to this day to Indrep for pointing me in the direction of the DEWS report!)

Here is the website - http://www.tearfilm.org/dewsreport/
They've improved it to - the table of contents is on the left of the screen now and it's clickable - if I were just starting out, I'd start with the chapter on management of dry eye.

After you've become your very own expert, then give some thought into what treatments you'd like to try (in most cases trying them for at least a month is a good idea), figure out which ones you'd like to try first etc. Also revisit the ones that you've already tried and give some thought as to whether or not they didn't help because you will never ever respond to them no matter what you do, or if it's possible that some other factor may have caused them not to work... maybe with some tweaking of the regimen, you can find a way to make them help you.

Lastly, if you've gone through all standard treatments and things are still not satisfactory, then look into the possibility of allergies influencing your eyes, ocular rosacea (worth looking into since you have MGD and it is possible to have ocular rosacea without any facial symptoms... check out the book "Rosacea 101" if you decide to investigate this further)

Plus be sure to get all of the lifestyle things that you can in your favour (ie. sleep at least 8 hours a night, healthy diet low in sugar and rich in nutrient rich unprocessed foods, exercise etc.) I'd start this NOW, since every little bit helps.

Also, asap, try moisture chamber goggles for all waking hours if you haven't already - I know... sucks to contemplate this, but look at it as a temporary bandaid solution for now - it can make an enormous difference in your comfort - this can reduce inflammation and help the other treatments to have a better shot of making a positive impact.

This is war, and you need to win it - time to throw everything you have at it - systematically figure out what helps and what doesn't - it will be so worth it when you come out the other side and are feeling much more like your old self.

[dryeye4ever]

I agree with you phillips. It seems like its not my old years again, i feel like i have a disease and im just living for that. It just proves us that health is the only golden gift given to us and money is just secondary. Where is my happyness gone? Where are my goals gone? Can i go back to school while using the computer alot? No. It just seems that we care so much about money that our health and well being are forgotten. Hence why capitalism isnt even an humanist way of thinking, its mechanic and artificial.