I need some advice for eye pain

[iSIGHT]

For the past year or so I have been trying to find healthy alternatives to treat my eye pain. But because the pain is so unbearable to the point I can’t even get out of bed, I tend to resort to risky but effective alternatives. I’ve been taking Aleve almost everyday for the past 5 years. It seems to be the only thing that reduces my inflammation and allow me to function (and by function, I mean being able to move around the house, this doesn’t include leaving the house). But I started researching and discovered that there are increased risks of heart disease with taking NSAIDs such as Aleve.

I’m very new to trying to find coping methods and would love for someone to offer some suggestions. Things I’ve tried in the past that I cannot tolerate are Lotemax, Restasis, and I haven’t found much comfort in using over-the-counter eye drops. Any and everything causes my eyes to burn, even my own tears. The only thing I am doing at this moment is taking daily:

Fish Oil - 1500mg (4 capsules of TheraTears)
Vitamin A -10000IU
Hot/cold compresses as needed

I've seen minor and I do mean minor improvement in my inflammation since I started taking the supplements. I still wake up in a lot of pain but I only have to take Aleve every other day instead of everyday. My goal is not to have to take any type of pain medicine at all. Lately this has been on my mind and I can’t stop thinking about the risks I’ve put myself in from consistently taking Aleve on a long term basis. Please help :-l

[liz56]

Hello, iSIGHT.

It sounds like you are doing a lot of good things to improve your comfort level.

Is it dryness that you think is causing your morning eye pain or do you awaken to tearing and sharp pain? Do your eyes feel "stuck" and are difficult to open?

There are two things that help me feel better in the mornings: 1. Eye protection at night; I use Tranquileyes goggles, but others often tape their eyes shut or wear sleep masks (and I still thank Rebecca and Lucy here at the DEZ for that advice!); and 2. (and I also got this tip here at the DEZ about four years ago from Cindy) I keep preservative-free eye drops near the bed, and when I wake up, before I open my eyes, I put the drops in the inner corners (by the nose) of my eyes and give them some time to seep in so that my eyes open without sticking or pain. It takes some time to train oneself to do it, but it helps a lot.

Best wishes,
Liz

[iSIGHT]

Yes my eyes are very difficult to open in the morning time. I spend a lot of time just laying there because my pain and inflammation doesn’t come until I try to open them.

I’ve tried sleeping with a sleep mask but they never stay on throughout the night. Are the Tranquileyes goggles difficult to sleep in?

I’ve given up on eye drops since I haven’t found one that works for me. Do you have any suggestions?

It’s a lot of information on this website, but trying to find the right routine can be overwhelming. But I haven’t given up hope. Thanks for responding

[liz56]

Hi, iSIGHT.

It took me some time to get used to TranquilEyes, but now I cannot sleep without them. However, they are expensive, and you should think hard about whether it will be worth it or not to you in your case, because as many of us here know, we waste a lot of money trying new things that sometimes do not work in our individual cases.

We are all different, and my condition is very rare, called EBMD. I'm glad that it is rare, because it means that not too many others are suffering from it. I have a corneal dystrophy that causes the outer layer of my cornea to stick to my eyelid and tear off, causing extreme pain, blurred vision, and days to recover, and that proceas is called an RCE. However, due to putting to use what I have learned here at the DEZ and working with my doctors, I have not had an episode like that in over three years, though the dystrophy causes constant discomfort and affects my visual acuity.

So, when I make recommendations, it is for my condition and not at all to assume that it would help everyone else.

I use Refresh preservative-free eye drops to help me open my eyes in the morning, but I use Dwelle all day long (every four hours). I used to love to use Genteal Gel at night, but I became allergic to it.

--Liz