Can dry eyes ultimately lead to blindness?

[Leesaw73]

My eyes are so severely dry when I wake up in the middle of the night and in the morning that they feel like marbles. Now, I am only 35 years old and I wonder if this will eventually lead to blindness. Anyone know?

[Alexandra]

Please do not think that far. Who knows what will be in 10 years. A lot of reseach is being done in this moment! Try to life in the present moment. Its all that we have. It you think about becoming blind in 20 years it wont make you happier now.
And in the end, if you need a more rational argument: there is an operation where you take out a salvia gland from your mouth and use it as a lacrimal gland. so, before you go blind you could do such an operation There is always a way!
Fight !

[Missie]

Alexandra ~ you have a great outlook and so positive. Like Leesaw... I have that same fear.
When I wake in the mornings and I sleep in 1.5 hour cycles through the night because of waking up with my eyes looking like I've got thick plastic over them (actually like I'm looking through thick plastic) and cannot see until I put drops in. So I'm with Leesaw ~ I fear the blindness thing too. Scared to even go to sleep at night because of being afraid of not seeing when I wake up. I haven't gotten to the point of enjoying life because of this mess... one day I hope to have your attitude Alexandra...

[Lucy]

You won't go blind from dry eye. I've been dealing with it for 10 years starting with Lasik surgery and then compounded by Sjogrens Syndrome.

It is hard to "enjoy life" because of this very trying situation. But, you can enjoy life although it might be tough at times. You just do it because you need to put one foot in front of the other every day.

Please don't think yourself crazy. You won't go blind from this. Also, no one ever died from dry eye. Best to both of you and try not to think about this all the time. Lucy

[Missie]

Thank you Lucy ~ that is my problem I cannot stop thinking about this. I have to learn how not to think about it... not sure how to do that yet.
I wish it were as easy as ignoring it and it would go away...

[stephgurl1986]

You won't go blind for dry eyes at least not in western countries. If you use eye drops you help your cornea to stay healthy - and even if you have problems with your cornea there is still transplantation etc...
When my dry eye startet about 5 years ago I also feared blindness. I saw blind people everywhere and thought this was a sign - but of course I just paid more attention to them.
I once had a infection of my right eye neves and was only able to see 10% - I was pretty afraid then and at that time I told myself not to complain about the pain and the dryness if only I'll ever be able to see again. Here I am, no serious disease, 100% eyesight, 23 years old and obsessed with my dry eyes and always complaining about the pain....

[Alexandra]

Hi Guys,

I have only got this positive attitude through doing spiritual practices and believe me, i have not become a hippie i was raised extremely rational.
but meditating once a day for 20 minutes, reading some buddhist knowledge once in a while make you realize that worrying about the future is the last thing that will help us in this very moment. I rather strongly believe that in say 10 years there will be 3-4 products on the market and till then, i will give my 100 percent to stay focussed on what is happening in this very moment.
I used to worry about dry eye, i was obsessed. Now, since I have become more calm, even my symptoms have lessened..... and ****: THERE WILL BE HELP! I JUST KNOW IT!
Dont give up! Fight! and accept your situation as it is: we all have dry eyes and it is not funny. but we need to surrender to our eyes. its the only thing we can do ;-)

xxx

[msienkiewicz]

I do agree! Well said Alexandra!

I don't play the "what if" game any more. I don't let myself go there. We had a rule at work, don't turn your timesheet in until the last moment - you could get hit by a bus tomorrow!

Do whatever you have to do to make yourself as comfortable as possible and LIVE! I too believe that there will be something better in a few years.

I have been helped tremendously by a wonderful counselor who suffers from physical limitations herself. She has helped me make action plans instead of worries. I have turned my warm compress time into a positive instead of a negative.

I was a compulsive worrier. I wonder if this was perhaps a test of my faith to truly believe that God's grace is sufficient for the day. Don't worry about tomorrow! Focus on getting through the day, and start small. Find one positive thing to focus on - a walk in the sun, a book on tape, a phone call to a friend (not about eyes). It takes work. A mointh ago, I was looking at my eye that I had the surgery on every 5 minutes, thinking that the bump would just disappear - nothing changed. You literally have to break the cycle of negative thought, and it's not easy. You CAN do it.

My friend used to say, "Pull up your granny panties and go!"
I say, "Throw on your goggles and go!"

Prayers for you,
I know you are hurting,
Melissa

[Missie]

Thank you Alexandra & Melissa

Ya'll are amazing. I hope to be at that place one day soon. I started walking about 2-4 miles a day depending on my energy level. I thought staying busy walking and going to school and meeting new people would take my mind off this eye stuff, but apparently it's going to take more than that. Alexandra ~ I am at the obsessed point. I know my friends and family are sick of hearing my eye issues and just when I think I have got that under control enough not to talk about it ~ then something else happens with my eyes. Also Alexandra, my mom has told me if I wouldn't panic so much and think about my eyes all the time they wouldn't keep getting worse ~ and then what you have said...

"since I have become more calm, even my symptoms have lessened..."

has now made me think I really need to calm down and quit these panic moments, which are all the time basically. Melissa ~ I am totally a compulsive worrier. I wish I wasn't ~ testing of faith really hits home too. Maybe this is suppose to teach me. Maybe teach me not to be so selfish among other things. I do need to desperately break out of negative thoughts. I think what scares me so bad is that I was raised with a blind grandparent and the household was so so depressing and that scares me. That is where 99% of my panic comes from.

I will definitely keep in mind what you both have said and what Lucy has said too. I can't thank ya'll enough for helping me feel better (other's probably feel better too because of what you have said) and sharing how you have learned to deal with this.

[msienkiewicz]

I'm so glad we have found a place where we can all band together for each other. My bad days will be your good days and vice versa.

We will lift each other up,
Melissa

[Missie]

I'm so glad we have found a place where we can all band together for each other. My bad days will be your good days and vice versa.

We will lift each other up,
Melissa

You are so right Melissa. I thank God for this site, I've learned so much and also met so many wonderful people. It helps to have support and understanding.

[Leesaw73]

Thank you all so much for your wonderful words and awesome support! Before I found these boards I truly felt alone with this dry eye issue. I cannot even talk to my husband about it anymore because he thinks it is no big deal and that just infuriates me.

Alexandra and Melisa- I hope that I can have a positive outlook on the situation like you ladies doe.

Missie- I am totally in your boat. I am so obsessed with this eye situation that it has totally taken over my life and has caused be to become depressed. I not only have dry eyes to deal with but I also have 4 unsightly, ugly pinguegulas in my eyes. (Which I think contributed to my dry eye in the first place.)

I hope we can all find relief from this someday in the NEAR future.

[Missie]

Hey Lee ~ so so sorry about the depression thing and all that you are having to deal with too. Like you I hope relief will come to all of us soon. Science seems to come up with cures for lots of rare diseases; so surely they can help us with all this dry eye stuff.

[Merricat]

I am so glad I found this thread! Since experiencing my dry eyes symptoms began, I have become so anxious about the possibility of blindness. Obsessed is probably more like it - I spend hours every day wondering what I am going to do and how I would get by if I could no longer see. I felt very encouraged after reading these posts - thank you!

[msienkiewicz]

We will continue to encourage each other!

I always know that even on my worst days, someone here will have a kind word that gives me the strength to go on.

Best wishes,
Melissa