Getting Married...

[Greeneyedswede]

Help!
I am getting married in two weeks and I don't want to struggle with my dry eyes all day! Before you get the impression that I've been procrastinating, let me explain...
Over the past few years I've tried :
TheraTears - Restasis - punctal plugs - nighttime ointment - Omega-3 supplements - eye mask at night… I wear glasses, which gives my eyes a little protection from dust and other pollutants. I avoid air conditioning, heaters, and windy days. I make it a point to blink consciously on a regular basis and not use Visine or any other potential antihistamines. I've limited my eye makeup to the least bit necessary. I've minimized the amount of medication I currently take, to lessen any dryness from it.
I tried Restasis a couple of years ago, but could not continue it due to my lack of health insurance, and due to lack of information from my current doctor, it is too late to start it now.

Soooo, my question is: Does anyone else have any ideas (any at all) for what I can do for my eyes in the next two weeks and on my wedding day?

[kitty]

DES Honeymoon?

Congrats on the wedding! Have you ever tried steroid eye drops? If not, maybe you can talk your eye doctor into giving you an Rx for a couple of weeks to give you a dry eye vacation/Honeymoon? I tried Lotemax and most of my DES symptoms disappeared while I was on it. Many docs won't let you stay on it for very long, but it is worth a shot. I am confused as to why you cannot try Restasis now (due to lack of info from the doctor, it is too late to start it now?). Restasis can take one to six months to work if it is going to work, so that will not help you with the wedding.

[indrep]

I would start "saturation dosing" of TheraTears NONPRESERVATIVE ever hour. Put a drop in each eye, blink, blink, blink, blink, then another drop. Stay at it till vial is empty. This normally takes 3-4 weeks to make a meaningful difference but you have two weeks and only really need to get through most of one day.

Good Luck and Congratulations!

[neil0502]

I had the same concern on my wedding day--just ten days short of four years ago.

In addition to indrep's shock-and-awe eyedrop bombing campaign, I hauled out the Lacriserts (search the forum if you're unfamiliar, but ... I don't know whether you could get them with so little time left....) for the actual day.

With my contact lenses, they blurred my vision a bit, but ... for photos ... for comfort ... it was worth it.

The other thing that I did ... and it may not be practical for you ... was to get married at the beach:

http://www.nbeener.com/

Lower left photo

Congratulations ... and good luck with the eyes. The other good news is: on this--one of the best days of your life--your eyes just won't bother you quite as much.

Don't get too drunk, either. The next morning will be so, so bad

[Rebecca Petris]

Soooo, my question is: Does anyone else have any ideas (any at all) for what I can do for my eyes in the next two weeks and on my wedding day?

Hi there - welcome to Dry Eye Talk and congratulations on your upcoming wedding!

Make sure you keep your eyes protected when you get your hair done for the big day! Stray hairspray won't help.

You might try Dwelle and/or Dakrina drops - they have helped a lot of people with "stubborn" dry eye. They are available in the Dry Eye Shop.

If you're using a greasy ointment like Lacrilube or Refresh PM, you might try switching to something like Genteal Gel or Dwelle - lot of people report eyes getting more uncomfortable after frequent use of an ointment.

Nightly warm compresses.

During the reception, if you're drinking make sure you alternate between water and alcohol - helps keep you from getting dehydrated, which usually makes dry eyes worse.

Sounds like you've been doing all the right things. Best of luck and enjoy your day to the full!!

[Lucy]

Also, you might add some type of glasses that may add to your comfort. I mean before the wedding. Not sure if you want your pics taken in strange glasses. Many of us wear glasses much of the time, even if they are plano "fashion glasses." Anything to help keep the air and wind from your eyes.

[EllenJ]

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding! I don't know how severe your dry eyes are, but if you're like me and they're just mildly to moderately dry, but enough to annoy, then I'd say have Dakrina & Dwelle rushed to your doorstep right away. By far, those two alone have done more to help me than any other product on the market. I've virtually eliminated all my other products, in fact, and I'm feeling tons better. I wish I had found this stuff ages ago. I think I've suffered with this dry eye condition for longer than neccessary IN PART because I wasn't treating it with the right combination of products for my particular case of dry eye. But 3x of Dakrina each day, and Dwelle at night has me feeling great now! Took about a week to kick in, though, so that's why I say rush some to yourself now and get on it fast! Good luck.

[Amy09]

congrats on the wedding!!!! wow that must be so exciting- yet frustrating w/ your dry eye problems. I would also suggest using a steroid drop. I did this for prom last year and it temporarily eliminated some of the burning and redness that I get. Also, like several others have suggested, either don't drink much alcohol or drink lots of water in between drinks. Dehydration will definately make your dry eye problems temporarily worse. Make sure you keep putting in your theratears throughout the day, and find some good makeup that is waterproof, yet not too strong and irritating to the eyes. (Several people on this site, including me, use Avon's waterproof mascara.) Or, if you're getting your makeup professionally done, let the cosmetologist know that your have dry eye problems and that she needs to try to avoid using irritating products or putting anything on your eyelids that can get into your eyes. Oh, and make sure the hairspray that you use isn't irritating as well, and cover your eyes with your hands while you let someone else spray it.

Everyone is different, but you also might want to try taking a really long, warm shower right after you wake up, on the day of your wedding, and use a warm (not too warm) washcloth as a compress while in the shower for about 15 minutes. I do this every morning before putting in drops, and it really helps to drain the mucus out of my eyes and decrease swelling. Like I said though, everyone is different, so you might want to give it a try before your wedding day to see how it works out. It may not be for everyone. Besides that, it sounds like you're doing everything you can to help your eyes. I hope your wedding day is absolutely WONDERFUL and good luck!!!!!

[dianat]

Drink a fair amount of wine after the ceremony...or before if you think you can get away with it!