Tried the Amniotic Membrane treatment

[DryEyeNJ]

Well, two weeks ago I tried a dehydrated amniotic membrane on my left eye to see if it would make a difference on my lasik induced dry eye. My doctor used a brand called Aril which is extremely small (5mm in diameter) covered by a soft contact lens. I did the treatment over the course of 5 days. I was hoping to see some results, but I must day overall the treatment was a complete waste of money at $1,200 per eye.

The Good: While the membrane was in the eye, the eye felt great. No blinking pain and I was able to cut down my eye drop usage. When the membrane was taken out, I felt awesome. I wouldn't say I felt like I did pre-lasik, but to the point where I could live a functional normal life without many restrictions. In short, I was happy again for the first time in 3 years.

The bad: I woke up this past Saturday and my symptoms returned. I woke up several times during the night in agony to apply drops to ease the pain. It seems like all this treatment does is treat the symptoms (probably inflammation and dry spots in my case), but did not address the underlying root of my problem.

I don't think I've felt this depressed in a long time. I feel the last week was a tease to the life I wished I could live again. During that span, I was able to do outdoor activities, watch movies, and put the AC on without being conscious of my eyes. don't know what the future holds in regards to new treatments, but after throwing thousands of dollars on ineffective treatments, I've lost all hope.

[MGD1701]

Hi,
My tips: find out your root causes - a muss - so you can treat them effectively and retain your glands (before they are gone FOR GOOD), if you have MGD.
Different causes have different treatments.

moring/mid night pain - I suffered this a lot for some years. Now I overcome it. What I do:
before bed and in the morning: wash eyes with warm water about 10-20 times, warm compress, massage, lid scrubs to get ride of dirts, bacterias etc.
+ swimming goggle + oil-based drop before bed.
Do you close eyes completely when sleep? some people do NOT.

Think positively and do things step by step but proactively then you can keep it under control, like many others do. Good luck!

[DryEyeNJ]

Hi,
My tips: find out your root causes - a muss - so you can treat them effectively and retain your glands (before they are gone FOR GOOD), if you have MGD.
Different causes have different treatments.

moring/mid night pain - I suffered this a lot for some years. Now I overcome it. What I do:
before bed and in the morning: wash eyes with warm water about 10-20 times, warm compress, massage, lid scrubs to get ride of dirts, bacterias etc.
+ swimming goggle + oil-based drop before bed.
Do you close eyes completely when sleep? some people do NOT.

Think positively and do things step by step but proactively then you can keep it under control, like many others do. Good luck!

Hello and thank you for your reply.

I've seen well over 5 doctors over the past 3 months and all seem to think my issues are not MGD related. It would make my life much easier if I had a clear diagnosis to work with, but every I've seen cannot find anything wrong with my eyes through a slit lamp examination. My lid closure when I sleep is fine (I had a blink test done on Lipiview to test this)

I've tried many treatments suggested by members of this forum, but none seem to give me the relief I am looking for. I actually keep a sticky note of all my attempted treatments in my wallet that I bring to each doctor. They consist of:

Lotemax/Alrex
Restasis
Xiidra
Lid scrubs
Omega 3's/Flaxseed
Hot compresses
Non-preservative drops
Systane nighttime ointment before bed
Punctal plugs (both permanent and temporary)
Humidifier
Moisture chamber goggles by Eye Eco (I tried them one night and struggle to wear them)

I am reluctant to throw my money away on treatments such as Lipiflow, IPL, Miboflow, ect. I feel like I am that revolving door patient that doctors love since they can consistently lure me back with followups by providing false hope. I have lost all faith in the medical industry and feel that many doctors have shifted their focus from patient satisfaction to profits. I am sure that there are doctors out there that defy my stereotype, but I have yet to meet one.

[DryEyeNJ]

I also forgot to mention when I noticed by symptoms returning on Saturday, I started using Lotemax to help the inflammation and stopped Monday. Based on my past experience, Lotemax does give me dry eyes and minor swelling as a side effect. I am hoping some of what I am experiencing now is partly due to side effects, but part of me is saying it has been three days and the side effects should have dissipated.

[MGD1701]

Well, I visited 12 doctors. Only last 3 checked/pressed my glands
- half of glands are GONE for good. Only one doctor was honest telling me can NOT help me.

Did your doctor check/press your glands with finger and by Morphology? These are critical and a muss as glands look normal do NOT mean they are functional (= clear oil seeps when press glands). If not, find a real expert. If you dont know any, tell people where you live so others might help you.

close eyes when sleep: Best is ask your family to double-check. Good to rule out all possibilities.

ointment - I used it for some years (as instructed by doctors) but it caused more problems than the benefits, for example night pain.
If you really need to use it - make sure you wash it away with warm water next morning, best is warm compress etc.

There many many factors so identify causes first otherwise just waste more money/energy and get NOWHERE, and might do some damages too.

Lotemax - seems it contains BAK - bad for eyes. Good to double check, if it is NOT from doctor advice.

[DryEyeNJ]

Well, I visited 12 doctors. Only last 3 checked/pressed my glands - 50% of my glands are GONE for good. Only one doctor was honest telling me can NOT help me.
Did your doctor check/press your glands function? Did they show you photos? These are critical as glands look normal do NOT mean they are functional (= seep clear oil when blink).
If not, find a real expert - still NOT so many around. If you dont know any, tell people where you live, other might help you with it.

close eyes when sleep: Best is ask your family to double-check. If you do not close 100%, there is a (small) operation to deal this?

ointment - I used it for some years and it caused more problems than the benefits, for example night pain.
If you really need to use it - make sure you wash it away with warm water next morning, best is warm compress etc.

There many many factors so identify causes first otherwise just waste more money/energy and get NOWHERE, and might do some damages too.

You pretty much summed up my whole experience with Ophthalmologists/Optometrists. I've only been to one doctor that examined my glands thoroughly and he said 50% of my glands were dysfunctional. I don't trust him and here is why. The whole office visit seemed like a sales pitch for Xiidra, Lipiflow, and his brand of supplements. I received several calls from his secretary after the visit asking when I was going to redeem my Xiidra script. At the time, I was fighting with my insurance to cover it since it was relatively new and expensive. Obviously there is some monetary incentive for each script written/redeemed. I am not an idiot, and feel that kind of behavior should not warrant a return visit. 5/6 Doctors said I do not have MGD.

I am an idiot for doing this, but I've been going back to my lasik surgeon who cannot seem to figure anything out, nor will admit the obvious that my symptoms occurred due to lasik. The only reason why I continue to go back is nobody in the area offers late night or weekend appointments. I have blown through my vacation days so taking off to find new doctors is difficult. Deep down I despise him, but on the flip side he is usually open to try treatments I suggest.

Regarding ointments, I tried going cold turkey and it did not go well. Normally I use Systane ointment or Celluvisc vials.You are correct regarding the mess they cause the next morning.

[Hokucat]

Hi DryEyeNJ. Sorry to hear all you have gone through. Many of us in this forum, like me and MGD1701, have similar stories.

Have you considered going for a consult on scleral lenses to see if you are a candidate to wear them? Sclerals have been used with increasing success to help manage dry eye symptoms in recent years, including for those with dryness from post-LASIK issues. I wear mines 12+ hours a day, and it provides me with comfort going outside, in rooms with fans and AC, going to the movies and watching TV, driving, using the computer, reading, etc. My medical insurance covered almost the entire cost.

The Boston PROSE website below gives a good general description of sclerals, but there are many brands. However, I happen to wear PROSE sclerals and must say have been very happy with my PROSE doctor and the lenses, so would highly recommend them.

http://www.bostonsight.org/PROSE/PRO...ats/Post-LASIK

[MGD1701]

Then find a doctor whom you can trust and who shows you photos of your glands and find out root causes.
If you have MGD and untreated, it only gets worse. When glands are gone, they are FOREVER!!!

[DryEyeNJ]

Hi DryEyeNJ. Sorry to hear all you have gone through. Many of us in this forum, like me and MGD1701, have similar stories.

Have you considered going for a consult on scleral lenses to see if you are a candidate to wear them? Sclerals have been used with increasing success to help manage dry eye symptoms in recent years, including for those with dryness from post-LASIK issues. I wear mines 12+ hours a day, and it provides me with comfort going outside, in rooms with fans and AC, going to the movies and watching TV, driving, using the computer, reading, etc. My medical insurance covered almost the entire cost.

The Boston PROSE website below gives a good general description of sclerals, but there are many brands. However, I happen to wear PROSE sclerals and must say have been very happy with my PROSE doctor and the lenses, so would highly recommend them.

http://www.bostonsight.org/PROSE/PRO...ats/Post-LASIK

I've considered sclerals in the past. This may sound strange to some, but psychologically putting sclerals in everyday would be very hard for me. Granted I'm a very self conscious person, but I would be reminded every day of the biggest mistake of my life (lasik). I'm not saying it wouldn't help me, but I hate thinking about the past which depresses me even more. I hope the makes sense.

[DryEyeNJ]

Then find a doctor whom you can trust and who shows you photos of your glands and find out root causes.
If you have MGD and untreated, it only gets worse. When glands are gone, they are FOREVER!!!

Understood. The biggest issue is finding someone who doesn't perform refractive surgery.

[Hokucat]

Well these are your eyes, so have to respect your reasons for not wanting to try sclerals. I wore regular contact lenses for many years, so to me wearing sclerals is similar to that. Plus I usually forget I have them on and they help me get back to almost the full functioning I used to have before I got severe dry eyes, so I don't want to go back! Also, seems the sclerals help my eyes feel better even when I am not wearing them, so that's also helpful.

[DryEyeNJ]

Well these are your eyes, so have to respect your reasons for not wanting to try sclerals. I wore regular contact lenses for many years, so to me wearing sclerals is similar to that. Plus I usually forget I have them on and they help me get back to almost the full functioning I used to have before I got severe dry eyes, so I don't want to go back! Also, seems the sclerals help my eyes feel better even when I am not wearing them, so that's also helpful.

I've heard mostly positive stories with sclerals. Only con I read is some people complain they tend to fog up.

I have spent almost every waking hour since 2014 regretting every getting lasik. I wish I had done more research in hindsight. I never would imagined how a poor outcome could derail one's quality of life. Never in a million years would I have imagined being dependent on eye drops and spending thousands on useless dry eye treatments.Sorry for the rant. I'm having one of those days where I wish someone would hug me and tell me everything will be okay.

[MGD1701]

Hi DryEyeNJ
Did you say you did LipiView? Then there should be images for glands? so you can know your gland status.
But still need to know if they are functional which only doctors can detect with fingers (or a small tool like a pen).

I also did LipiView but dr did not show me glands nor detect that my imcomplete blinking problem - wasted money for NOTHING.

[DryEyeNJ]

Hi DryEyeNJ
Did you say you did LipiView? Then there should be images for glands? so you can know your gland status.
But still need to know if they are functional which only doctors can detect with fingers (or a small tool like a pen).

I also did LipiView but dr did not show me glands nor detect that my imcomplete blinking problem - wasted money for NOTHING.

I did Lipiview back in November and that doctor thought I had MGD. He was the only doctor of 6+ that I have seen to mention MGD. I questioned his diagnosis because came off a a salesman for Lipiflow and Xiidra before we even scanned the glands. Also, my pain trigger is blinking. I do wake up with burning eyes, but can normally take a breeze to the face without burning which makes me think my glands are producing oil.

My lasik doctor and about 4 other doctors said my eyes look completely normal. Obviously something is going on that is not visible under a slit lamp.

I couldn't agree more with the statement that I need an accurate diagnosis Unfortunately I've been on a wild goose hunt to find a doctor that is both knowledgeable and someone I can trust.

[Hokucat]

My sclerals used to fog up often, back when my eyes were getting to the point of zero tear film. When I reached that point, I could no longer wear the sclerals for several years, until I got some tear film back from drinking lemon/tea.

If you ever decide to do sclerals, they will always be there. And hopefully will cost less as time goes on.

And I want to tell you from the bottom of my heart, consider yourself hugged from across the U.S. in California (I'm assuming you're from NJ?). During my several years of zero tear film, I was literally home bound, I couldn't even read or write any posts in this forum, it was almost as if I was blind...I often felt I needed a hug and encouragement. Well here I am now, so am hopeful you will get better too.