Dry Eye Drop That Has Done Amazing Things For Me

[Dotanne]

PS
I have generally found that if you do a 'big' day and think your eyes are great - ie go to a show in the evening or spend the day at the beach - one tends to have a delayed reaction - they are worse the next day!

[Tankie]

Thanks for your comments Dotanne!

Update:
So today was the first day of school. I was in a 6 hour seminar (there was a break in there), and it was quite the challenge to get through. My eyes definitely were not in perfect shape during this, but they survived.

I can't wait until my TheraTears Gel arrives because that's the good stuff! The liquid version is still good, but not as good.

Anyway, today was a real test for how I am progressing, seeing as I had to have my eyes open for 6 hours straight while sitting in a chair the whole time. It was not the most comfortable of situations, and the eyes definitely hurt, but all in all, I managed to survive it.

Under normal circumstances, I would be able to put in more drops during the day, and I would have been fine.

My ophthalmologist called me today to check up on me. I told him I was still doing cyclosporine 2 times a day, and TheraTears as required (4-8 times per day). He said that's great, but he said in addition I need to start doing more hot compresses. He said that cold compresses can sometimes help too, but he especially recommended the hot compresses. He also said that with TheraTears Gel (which is preservative free), it's perfectly alright for me to use as much of it as I like. He said that I can use it every 30 minutes a day if I want, although that would be overkill.

I have not been doing hot compresses on a daily basis, so I'm going to start doing that again as of tonight.

Please let me know if anyone else is trying TheraTears Gel! I would love to hear from you. In fact, I would love to hear more from anyone who reads this post. Don't be shy to talk to me, I won't bite! Also, advice is always welcome, and I'm happy to encourage or give advice to anyone who thinks I can help them

[DG65]

Your ophthalmologist CALLED YOU?

Wow.

[peepers]

you're very lucky to have your eye doc call you.Mine doesn't even remember me until she looks through my notes!

[Tankie]

Wow what a response! Well what happened was, I called his office and talked to the secretary about how I was doing, and I expressed some concerns. Then, later that day my ophthalmologist called me at the end of his day to see how I was doing, answer a few questions, and give some advice. The main things he said were, keep doing the treatment as you are, and start doing hot compresses again, and if they feel good, cold compresses too, but he especially stressed the hot ones. He said that he's hoping that I will be healed by the end of October. I hope he's right!

Update will be coming in the next little while so stay tuned!

[tearless2]

Do your eyes feel worse in the morning or at night?

Does the heated rice baggy treatment help?

[Tankie]

Do your eyes feel worse in the morning or at night?

Does the heated rice baggy treatment help?

YES!!! O my goodness yes!

Hot compresses are the greatest thing ever! Ok you guys, basically here is what has happened to me lately:
- I went back to university.
- The first day I was in terrible pain cuz of the 6 hour seminar.
- The second day I was in terrible pain because of a compounding effect from day 1.
- The third day, very similar to day 2, pain.

But then it happened, the best thing ever.

I've started using hot compresses a lot more. Basically my technique is as follows (I don't use a rice baggy):
- I take 2 face clothes
- I put each of them on a separate dinner plate
- I wet both face clothes, and drain out the over-saturated water by "ringing it out" (I hope that makes sense, if not just ask)
- I put one in the microwave to heat it up
- Once it's done, I take it out, and put the other in the microwave to heat it up
- I use the first face cloth on my eyes, by massaging it and pressing it onto my upper eye lids (as well as other parts of the eyes).
- Once it cools down, I put this cloth back in the microwave and take the other one out (which has finished heating up by now).
- Then I use face cloth #2 on my face...
- In the mean time, face cloth #! is heating up again.
- Once I'm done with face cloth #2, I put it back in the microwave and use face cloth #1 again.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat until I've had enough.

Two major warnings:
- Use soft face clothes, or you might damage your skin a little
- Don't rub too hard when massaging because you might damage your skin a little (and I suppose the eyes too).

Ok so that's that, but then there's more!

I bought these speedo swimming goggles which are mostly a clear/white colour and they don't make me look stupid in public! Wearing these even when I'm at school REALLY REALLY helps! The air can't get to my eyes now, so they don't dry out, and so I seriously feel no pain at all most of the time! It truly is amazing.

Ok so the last thing I want to say is that I am hoping that with the combination of always having goggles on (even when I sleep) and doing plenty of hot compresses, using cyclosporine, and TheraTears liquid gel, I hope that I can be cured of this terrible illness which has robbed me of my early 20's by the end of October!

PS: No one laughed at me or made a fool of me at school. A few people asked me about them, but they were very respectful and nice to me about it.

PPS: In addition to the hot compresses with 2 clothes, I also shower once a day and I will position the shower spray such that it hits both my eyes and I just stand there for 5 minutes straight and let my eyes warm up. I also massage the eyes a little with my hands when doing this sometimes. If you try this, make sure you don't suffocate due to the water!

PPPS: I forgot to mention, when my ophthalmologist called me, I asked him what my diagnosis is, and he said I have a combination of Aqueous Deficiency in the eyes and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).

[zde2]

identical problem

Tankie,

I've been following your posts recently. Your experiments are very interesting.

I have EXACTLY the same condition as you. I'm 22 and my eyes have been severley dry for 2-3 years now. It has completely ruined my social life too. I try not to let it bother me too much because life could be worse, could be blind or have some other more serious physical disability. Going to the movies, watching tv, shopping centres (air conditioning) and university have become very difficult. Lifestyle changes help to manage it but overall I'd say it has reduced my quality of life. Very frustrating!

My eyes are very sensitive to light and things like air conditioning/heating & tv/computer use aggravates them alot. My eye lids get very inflamed throughout the day and if I don't take the following steps they get vey red and uncomfortable, unpleasant.

I too use TheraTears liquid gel. I have to put drops in every half hour, sometimes more often while I'm awake. It helps alot but still the problem won't go away. At night, I use a very strong/thick ointment called PolyVisc. My optometrist recommended I use it to assist with the pain overnight. It's preservative free, made from Paraffin & Wool Fat. It's very good, thought you might be interested in giving it a try. I live in Melbourne, Australia, so I'm not sure if its available where you live. I also use a hot compress at least 3 times a day to stimulate the tear glands.

Something my optometerist discovered recently was that my eye lids do not close completely when I blink, and most likely they are slightly open at night (very minor, not visible to the naked eye). She said this can actually be a form of facial paralysis. The medical term is Nocturnal Lagophthalmos. Unfortunately, we've discovered this fact a few years too late, and most likely this has had a detrimental effect over time causing my chronic dry eye. 

I have started using tape to keep my eyes shut at night. The best tape to use is medical/surgical tape that is hypo-allergenic. It's available at any pharmacy, and is very gentle on the skin so I don't get any rash. 

I've been doing this for a few days, (on top of all my other daily treatments), but apparently it will take 2-3 months before any improvement will be noticeable. Sounds fair enough considering they've been open at night for possibly the past 3 years, so I don't mind waiting. Hopefully it will help, fingers crossed. 

I'm also considering buying TranquilEyes for night time. They sound like a good idea.

I will keep you updated to see how I go over the next few months. Let me know how your situation is going, or any new tips.

Zac

[Tankie]

Tankie,

I've been following your posts recently. Your experiments are very interesting.

I have EXACTLY the same condition as you. I'm 22 and my eyes have been severley dry for 2-3 years now. It has completely ruined my social life too. I try not to let it bother me too much because life could be worse, could be blind or have some other more serious physical disability. Going to the movies, watching tv, shopping centres (air conditioning) and university have become very difficult. Lifestyle changes help to manage it but overall I'd say it has reduced my quality of life. Very frustrating!

My eyes are very sensitive to light and things like air conditioning/heating & tv/computer use aggravates them alot. My eye lids get very inflamed throughout the day and if I don't take the following steps they get vey red and uncomfortable, unpleasant.

I too use TheraTears liquid gel. I have to put drops in every half hour, sometimes more often while I'm awake. It helps alot but still the problem won't go away. At night, I use a very strong/thick ointment called PolyVisc. My optometrist recommended I use it to assist with the pain overnight. It's preservative free, made from Paraffin & Wool Fat. It's very good, thought you might be interested in giving it a try. I live in Melbourne, Australia, so I'm not sure if its available where you live. I also use a hot compress at least 3 times a day to stimulate the tear glands.

Something my optometerist discovered recently was that my eye lids do not close completely when I blink, and most likely they are slightly open at night (very minor, not visible to the naked eye). She said this can actually be a form of facial paralysis. The medical term is Nocturnal Lagophthalmos. Unfortunately, we've discovered this fact a few years too late, and most likely this has had a detrimental effect over time causing my chronic dry eye. 

I have started using tape to keep my eyes shut at night. The best tape to use is medical/surgical tape that is hypo-allergenic. It's available at any pharmacy, and is very gentle on the skin so I don't get any rash. 

I've been doing this for a few days, (on top of all my other daily treatments), but apparently it will take 2-3 months before any improvement will be noticeable. Sounds fair enough considering they've been open at night for possibly the past 3 years, so I don't mind waiting. Hopefully it will help, fingers crossed. 

I'm also considering buying TranquilEyes for night time. They sound like a good idea.

I will keep you updated to see how I go over the next few months. Let me know how your situation is going, or any new tips.

Zac

Hey Zac, thanks for sharing all that! O wow that rhymed...

Ahem, anyway, I really really REALLY think you should get goggles! I just got back from university and I wore my goggles all day long and my eyes feel great! I did my homework during my breaks, and I only put in some TheraTears twice during the day as a precaution, and not because I really needed it.

Here is a link to the exact pair of goggles that I wear for anyone who is interested: http://www.kiefer.com/ProductDetails/StyleMasterDetails.aspx?pid={F74088CF-E899-4801-B19B-8FCB442E1536}&gid={56d62137-6293-4e7b-bfe3-790ed2e20abe}&GroupName=Kids+Goggles%2c+Masks+%26+ Snorkels&pname=Speedo+Hydrospex2+Goggles&Referer=& Alias=&ptct=&CTitle=The+Kiefer+swim+experts+also+r ecommend%3a&

I wish they didn't have the logo in the middle, but whatever it's fine. They don't exactly make me look like a model, but some people say I look like some sort of genius when I wear them which I think is hilarious! haha. At the end of the day, I'm at a point where it's sorta like this:
- I have problems with my eyes
- I don't care if other people know I have problems with my eyes
- I'm going to walk around with goggles on for a few weeks or months
- One day in the not too distant future I will take them off, completely cured of my problems, and can go back to being completely normal!

So ya, here are my tips for you and anyone else who has these sorts of problems:
- Use Cyclosporine and TheraTears Liquid Gel
- Always wear goggles, in the house, out the house, when you're sleeping.
- Do at least 2 hot compresses every day (but 3 or 4 if you have time).
- When doing the hot compresses, I recommend doing the "2 clothes in the microwave" technique (read up a few posts if you have no idea what this is), but as long as you have a method that works, then do that. Just make sure that you are heating up and massaging the glands in your eyes.
- Use cold compresses at least once a day, but don't go crazy and give yourself frost bite! Be careful with ice, it can be dangerous.



Finally the last thing I'll say is the logic behind all this:

I have been diagnosed with Aqueous Deficiency in the eyes and Meibomian Gland Dysfunction (MGD).

- Cyclosporine fights against the aqueous deficiency.
- Hot/Cold compresses fights against MGD by loosening up the glands and allowing the oils/mucus to protect the eyes.
- Goggles protect from the air drying out the eyes. For example, why do we hang out clothes out on a washing line to dry? Because the air dries them! Similarly the air dries out your eyes if they are not protected. Thus, you must wear goggles if you have MGD or an aqueous deficiency (or both).
- TheraTears liquid gel's roll is to substitute for the missing "stuff" that the glands are supposed to produce. In time, once your glands become unblocked, you won't need the TheraTears any more (or at least that's the hope).

Good luck, and yes please keep me updated! I definitely want to hear how things turn out

[zde2]

update

Hi,

Just thought I'll update you on my progress. I have been taping my eyelids shut and wearing a sleep mask over it at night. It's been a week and my eyes have really improved. They still get aggravated throughout the day but the severity is definitely less. I have been using TheraTears, 4 times a day at even intervals, using the entire vial each time(4-5 drops in each eye) and closing my eyes for 5 mins while it saturates the eyes. This rest really helps during the day. I've also been using the hot compress 3-4 times a day and this really helps too! Looks like having my eyelids actually shut at night time is a well deserved relief for my eyes, a long time coming.

I ordered TranquilEyes, so until they get delivered I will keep using tape at night.

I have also started supplementing my diet with some vitamins. I have been taking flaxseed oil, wild salmon oil (omega3), vitamin A and evening primrose oil twice daily and I have actually noticed my eyes tearing more naturally. It is expensive to keep this supplementing up but I will keep it going for the time being to see if it drives down the problem.

I have also been taking one dose of Bilberry daily, which is supposed to assist with eye strain, while I have increased my water in take to 2-3 litres per day to see if it helps with inflammation. as you can tell i'm hoping to cure the problem from the inside, not external.

Will update again in a week.

How have you been going?

P.S. What's your thoughts on this? http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/tarsorrhaphy-1

[Tankie]

Hi,

Just thought I'll update you on my progress. I have been taping my eyelids shut and wearing a sleep mask over it at night. It's been a week and my eyes have really improved. They still get aggravated throughout the day but the severity is definitely less. I have been using TheraTears, 4 times a day at even intervals, using the entire vial each time(4-5 drops in each eye) and closing my eyes for 5 mins while it saturates the eyes. This rest really helps during the day. I've also been using the hot compress 3-4 times a day and this really helps too! Looks like having my eyelids actually shut at night time is a well deserved relief for my eyes, a long time coming.

I ordered TranquilEyes, so until they get delivered I will keep using tape at night.

I have also started supplementing my diet with some vitamins. I have been taking flaxseed oil, wild salmon oil (omega3), vitamin A and evening primrose oil twice daily and I have actually noticed my eyes tearing more naturally. It is expensive to keep this supplementing up but I will keep it going for the time being to see if it drives down the problem.

I have also been taking one dose of Bilberry daily, which is supposed to assist with eye strain, while I have increased my water in take to 2-3 litres per day to see if it helps with inflammation. as you can tell i'm hoping to cure the problem from the inside, not external.

Will update again in a week.

How have you been going?

P.S. What's your thoughts on this? http://www.healthline.com/galecontent/tarsorrhaphy-1

Hey! Thanks for responding again

I'm glad things are starting to improve for you. If there was one bit of criticism I would give you, it would be that I think you should try wearing goggles, just for a week or something, just to see how it goes. If it helps, great. If not, well you'll have some people who will come up to you and ask "what's with the goggles?" lol

In response to the "Tarsorrhaphy" procedure... Hmm I've never heard of this before. I don't want to give you any advice on this, because quite frankly I'm not the guy for the job. I'd ask a doctor about it, or possibly someone on here who has had this done to them.

Ok... now for me...

Update:
So overall things have been going very good. In one of my classrooms where there are only 15 people in the class, someone asked me about my goggles, and I essentially explained to the whole class my situation lol. I didn't really mind though, it was kind of funny, because I said that, "I am like Darth Vader. I can take my mask off for a few seconds, but after that I'll die!" People got a kick out of that For anyone who doesn't understand this joke, PLEASE WATCH STAR WARS RETURN OF THE JEDI! haha

But ya, no one has ever made fun of me or been disrespectful. I've had a few people on campus completely randomly walking up to me and saying "what's with the goggles?" I think these people are just a little over curious, but I don't mind answering them.

I think this was a major step for me, and quite likely a major step for a lot others. Don't be self-conscious about your dry eyes. There might be the occasional person out there who laughs at you for it (although I've never met one yet), but 99.9% of people will be very respectful and understanding. It's not something you should hide, it's ok to let people know you have a problem, and that you're dealing with it in the hopes of being cured some day.

Anyway, today was the first time I've actually taken my goggles off for anything. I played tennis with 3 friends, and then I played indoor soccer with a bunch of people. I did all this with no goggles on because I figured I would need my peripheral vision, otherwise someone might get hurt (probably me!).

I unfortunately have to say that I did feel pain during this time. The goggles really REALLY make the difference for me, and I just hope that some how, some way, I'll be able to get rid of them some day. But for now, I HAVE to have my goggles on at all times. I'll keep you all updated on my status with the goggles, because chances are I'll try taking them off again in about a weeks time or so, just to see how my eyes handle exposure to the air.

I've said this before, but I'll say it one more time...
- I use cyclosporine to fight my aqueous deficiency.
- I use hot compresses to fight my semi-blocked glands.
- I use TheraTears Gel to make up for the lack of oils in the eyes due to my glands not working properly.
- I wear goggles at all times (even when I sleep) to prevent the air from drying out my eyes.

- With goggles on, no pain what so ever. Truly remarkable.
- Without goggles on... well I've only tried it once, and I had pain. It wasn't the worst pain, but pain nevertheless.

Ok I hope this helps someone out there. I'll update you all again in a little while.

[borgy1769]

Onion Goggles

Hey

Been reading these posts and noticed that both of you have the exact same condition as me. My doctor said it is about 80 percent aqueous deficient and 20 percent MGD. Just had my ducts plugged today, no noticeable difference yet. If you want another option for goggles you could try the onion goggles from the dry eye shop website. They would be just as effective and might even look more like glasses. They are still weird looking, but you might like them better than the swimming goggles. Enjoy your posts so keep them coming

Eric

[willwork4tears]

My opthalmologist calls me. If you want to drive to Central Indiana for a good opth PM me and I will give you his name.

Your ophthalmologist CALLED YOU?

Wow.

[Tankie]

Hey

Been reading these posts and noticed that both of you have the exact same condition as me. My doctor said it is about 80 percent aqueous deficient and 20 percent MGD. Just had my ducts plugged today, no noticeable difference yet. If you want another option for goggles you could try the onion goggles from the dry eye shop website. They would be just as effective and might even look more like glasses. They are still weird looking, but you might like them better than the swimming goggles. Enjoy your posts so keep them coming

Eric

Woo hoo! I love it when other people give me feedback. That way I don't feel like I'm just talking to myself haha. That's for the suggestion, I'm pretty happy with the goggles that I have already, but it never hurts to be aware of other options in case I change my mind later.

My opthalmologist calls me. If you want to drive to Central Indiana for a good opth PM me and I will give you his name.

To be fair, when my ophthalmologist called me, it was because I had called him first and he was returning the call. It's ok to talk to the receptionists and tell them you have some questions for the doctor. I'm sorry if I mislead anyone!

Update:
So it's been a while now and I'm still doing good. So far I'm getting an A or an A+ in all my courses haha . I'm so happy about that! It's all about working hard and having lots of communication between your peers and your teachers. This way you get a million different perspectives to consider, take what you believe is the best of them, and then form it into a super system of answers. Also, by talking to my teachers so much, I pretty much know exactly what they're looking for, and then it's just a matter of me taking their words, and producing it for their eyes.

It's funny because I'm the goggles guy lol . No one actually calls me that because they're all polite, but I can't help but feel that's how I'm known. It's nice that everyone knows my real name though. It's very cool! Perhaps one of the benefits of wearing goggles.

I'm not going to lie, I do get a bit self-conscious sometimes, but at the end of the day, people will accept you as long as you have a nice personality (and help them get good marks lol). It was pretty awkward this one time when I went to a pub with a bunch of them... at least at first, but then I felt fine. It was fun though!

Ok anyway, enough about what I've been up to.

As far as the eyes go... They feel great, I've never had even one bad day since the last time I wrote on here. Most days are completely painless, but I really do have to wear goggles 24/7, except when I shower. That's the only time I don't have them on.

I'm considering taking them off for a few hours some day soon, just to see how they handle exposure to the air. With any luck, things will be good and maybe I'll try it for a full day after that.... and if that goes good, maybe 2 days.... and so on. If it all works out, I'll be healed!

I've been keeping up with my cyclosporine, hot compresses, TheraTears, and goggles treatment just as it's described above.

Anyway that's pretty much it! Not much to report because everything is going good. The only thing left to say is I'd love to hear how other people are doing, especially those who I've never heard from before, but second or third time posters in this thread are also welcome!

[willwork4tears]

To be fair, when my ophthalmologist called me, it was because I had called him first and he was returning the call. It's ok to talk to the receptionists and tell them you have some questions for the doctor. I'm sorry if I mislead anyone!

My Dr. has called me twice without me having to call him first. I think the second time was after my in-office cautery went so badly. He couldn't get me numb and after being jabbed in the eyelids 6+ times (lidocaine) we had to abort the procedure. He felt really bad b/c the injections are very painful and the attempted cautery felt like torture. He was calling to check up on me and see how my eyes felt the next day. Obviously, I'm very grateful that he's an empathetic doctor who truly cares. Those kinds of eye docs seem to be rare...unfortunately.