Red Eyes - Do all dry sufferers have them???

[dryeyes4ever]

My eyes are always very red. I work full-time on a computer, but even on the weekends after sleeping in, my eyes are always red. None of the whitening eye drops help (even special ones the dry eye dr. has given me). They actually make my eyes worse.

Do you all have red eyes all the time too? My dr. isn't sure why my eyes are so red since my eyes are producing a few more tears.

If you have red eyes, is there anything you do that helps?

Thanks!

[Rebecca Petris]

Some people with dry eye have red eyes and some don't. For some it's the most severe symptom. Sometimes it's related to allergy and sometimes not.

My eyes are always very red. I work full-time on a computer, but even on the weekends after sleeping in, my eyes are always red. None of the whitening eye drops help (even special ones the dry eye dr. has given me). They actually make my eyes worse.

When you say whitening eye drop you're talking about a vasoconstrictor (redness reliever), right?
Is the special one your dr. gave you a vasoconstrictor as well? That would really surprise me. But if that's the case and this doctor did NOT warn you of the dangers, you need a new doctor... and quickly.

Vasoconstrictors will most definitely make your eyes worse. They even say so on the bottle. They should NEVER be used with any regularity, just saved for special occasions. They are harmful if used frequently.

The answer to redness varies a lot depending on the situation and you'll find from other discussion here about it that some have more success with others treating it. Cold compresses can sometimes be helpful. Getting a really detailed diagnosis and the right treatments for dry eye can help. Identifying any substance sensitivity or allergy that may be triggering you can be really important. It may be something that would never affect you if your eyes had healthy tears, but with a poor tear film your eyes are more vulnerable to environmental stuff. Allergy drops or other treatment may help too.

[dryeyes4ever]

Some people with dry eye have red eyes and some don't. For some it's the most severe symptom. Sometimes it's related to allergy and sometimes not.



When you say whitening eye drop you're talking about a vasoconstrictor (redness reliever), right?
Is the special one your dr. gave you a vasoconstrictor as well? That would really surprise me. But if that's the case and this doctor did NOT warn you of the dangers, you need a new doctor... and quickly.

Vasoconstrictors will most definitely make your eyes worse. They even say so on the bottle. They should NEVER be used with any regularity, just saved for special occasions. They are harmful if used frequently.

The answer to redness varies a lot depending on the situation and you'll find from other discussion here about it that some have more success with others treating it. Cold compresses can sometimes be helpful. Getting a really detailed diagnosis and the right treatments for dry eye can help. Identifying any substance sensitivity or allergy that may be triggering you can be really important. It may be something that would never affect you if your eyes had healthy tears, but with a poor tear film your eyes are more vulnerable to environmental stuff. Allergy drops or other treatment may help too.

He's given me Pataday & TobraDex ST. I don't have allergies that I know of, but my regular dr. prescribed Veramyst nasal spray b/c he said it can help w/the redness too (I don't find it helps).

Anymore I NEVER use whitening drops; even for "special" occasions. My eyes burn for a really long time & get redder.

I'm confident in my eye dr. I found him on the internet when searching for a good dry eye dr. His name is Edward Harmer & he works at Omni Eye Center in W. Orange, NJ. He teaches other drs. about dry eye.

I actually have an app't. w/him tomorrow. I've been back on the Azasite the past month b/c my left lower glands were clogged again.

I use cold wash cloths sometimes at night when my eyes are really burning & irritated. I have your rice baggy that I use sometimes too. I'm just very self conscious about how they look & hate to think what people are thinking of me...

[Dru]

Red eyes

My eyes constantly looked like I had been crying. It was embarrassing. Add that to the burning, itching, etc. and there were times I would have preferred to just stay in bed. NONE of the prescription drops, creams, etc. worked except for very very temporarily, and then the prescriptions would actually irritate my eyes more. Lid scrubs made the situation worse. The thing that has helped the most is Mimyx cream, prescribed by my dermatologist. I rub the cream around my eyelid margins first thing in the morning after washing my face, and last thing at night, again after washing my face. BTW, I have found that CeraVe hydrating cleanser (not CeraVe foaming facial cleanser!) does not dry out or irritate my eyelids the way many cleansers and soaps do. Sometimes, I will reapply the Mimyx cream an additional time or two during the day, depending on my environment. I use Unisol preservative-free saline solution drops in my eye during the day, and FreshKote drops at night. This routine has made a 90% difference in my eyes. I have a lot of allergies, chronic blepharitis, and some additional immune things going on, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this regimen will continue to help.

[Lacey1]

I don't have red eyes and my eyes are very dry. It's actually horrible. People look at me and think I'm crazy because my eyes don't look irritated, but they feel absolutely horrible. When I was at work everyone thought I was extremely tired all the time because I could hardly keep my eyes open in the air conditioned room because they hurt so much and I kept yawning to try to force some extra tears out. They're a little better since the onion goggles and they still are not red.

[dijon84]

I fall in the category of those who don't get red eyes. Just inside my eyelids are very red but that's all really. My eyes still feel bad most of the time.

[zacoftheforrest]

Possible New eye whitening - http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/showt...-Eye-Whitening

[poppy]

I think everyone is different RE redness. I think it is like how some people have severe symptoms but little clinical signs, some people have severe redness but their dry eyes are not that bad, and others have very severe dry eye and white eyes.

[MaryVa61]

I'm not a very red eyed person either, even when pain is severe. But I was when first diagnosed (15 years ago). I think my lack of redness now is due to all the things I do to control the pain and dryness problems. Suspect if I quit doing anything for my eyes for awhile, they'd look horrible.

[Schatten]

I don't have very red eyes either but the inner lid edges are very red. The only thing you see in my eyes are some capillaries creeping across the sclera towards the center like lightning bolts >.>

The reddest eyes I ever had were when I tried to cut onions and you could've thought I start to bleed from them

[alisonW]

My eyes are always red. They look especially bad under flourescent lighting. I assume I have ocular rosacea because of the redness - you can have it even with zero facial symptoms.

[dryeyes4ever]

My eyes constantly looked like I had been crying. It was embarrassing. Add that to the burning, itching, etc. and there were times I would have preferred to just stay in bed. NONE of the prescription drops, creams, etc. worked except for very very temporarily, and then the prescriptions would actually irritate my eyes more. Lid scrubs made the situation worse. The thing that has helped the most is Mimyx cream, prescribed by my dermatologist. I rub the cream around my eyelid margins first thing in the morning after washing my face, and last thing at night, again after washing my face. BTW, I have found that CeraVe hydrating cleanser (not CeraVe foaming facial cleanser!) does not dry out or irritate my eyelids the way many cleansers and soaps do. Sometimes, I will reapply the Mimyx cream an additional time or two during the day, depending on my environment. I use Unisol preservative-free saline solution drops in my eye during the day, and FreshKote drops at night. This routine has made a 90% difference in my eyes. I have a lot of allergies, chronic blepharitis, and some additional immune things going on, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this regimen will continue to help.

Thanks for the info. I'll email my dry eye dr. & see what he thinks about the Mimyx. I saw my dr. Friday & had asked him about whether I should be using a lid scrub & he said it wasn't necessary.

He said I can use the Lotemax 2 x a day until the redness goes away. I find the Lotemax very drying though. I'm going to use it for a few days & see if they start staying whiter but if not, I'll only use the Lotemax on special occasions. I'm still on Azasite (2 more weeks) & restasis. I like Bausch & Lomb moisture drops best; I know they have preservatives, but they don't make my eyes blurry.

[dryeyes4ever]

Some people with dry eye have red eyes and some don't. For some it's the most severe symptom. Sometimes it's related to allergy and sometimes not.



When you say whitening eye drop you're talking about a vasoconstrictor (redness reliever), right?
Is the special one your dr. gave you a vasoconstrictor as well? That would really surprise me. But if that's the case and this doctor did NOT warn you of the dangers, you need a new doctor... and quickly.

Vasoconstrictors will most definitely make your eyes worse. They even say so on the bottle. They should NEVER be used with any regularity, just saved for special occasions. They are harmful if used frequently.

The answer to redness varies a lot depending on the situation and you'll find from other discussion here about it that some have more success with others treating it. Cold compresses can sometimes be helpful. Getting a really detailed diagnosis and the right treatments for dry eye can help. Identifying any substance sensitivity or allergy that may be triggering you can be really important. It may be something that would never affect you if your eyes had healthy tears, but with a poor tear film your eyes are more vulnerable to environmental stuff. Allergy drops or other treatment may help too.

Hi - I saw my dr. on Friday. He said I can use Lotemax 2 times a day until the redness is gone. I've used it once a day since Friday & they are better, but the Lotemax is drying & makes them redder for a little while. I think I'll use them a few more days & see if my eyes stay whiter but if not, I'll only use them on special occasions. I talk to him about this website & how helpful it is & told him he should register as a dr. I forward most of the articles you post & he always has great insight & answers me right away.

[dryeyes4ever]

Red Eyes

I'm not a very red eyed person either, even when pain is severe. But I was when first diagnosed (15 years ago). I think my lack of redness now is due to all the things I do to control the pain and dryness problems. Suspect if I quit doing anything for my eyes for awhile, they'd look horrible.

What are the things you do for your dry eyes? Thanks.