Dry eye and glare

[Mastiff]

I'm getting paranoid. It really seems like I'm having an extra hard time seeing in the presence of glare. For example if there is a bright window in the background, it seems like objects and people in the foreground are turning more and more into silhouettes with less discernible detail. More disturbing is that my right eye is noticeably worse than my left.

I'd like it to be dry eye related as opposed to cataracts, since I'm still too young for that. What experiences can people share regarding glare and dry eye? I wake up in the morning always to foggy vision until some tears get flowing, but the level of glare issue I'm talking about here seems to persist all day and is no better even right after putting in some drops. I would think the drops would solve the problem if it was just a dry cornea issue.

[kitty]

Glare problems can be the result of corneal inflammation, as can light sensitivity. For me they go hand in hand. When I was 48 I was diagnosed with an early cataract. My girlfriend was diagnosed at 45 and had cataract surgery by age 50. It's not so uncommon that us "younger" folks have early cataracts and they can be a big source of glare problems especially with night driving. I have gone so far as to purchase night vision goggles that help to reduce the glare. You can search for them online, I don't remember the brand I ended up with but they have an amber tint to them. I got them a few years before the cataract was diagnosed. They do help. Good luck.

[Mastiff]

Thanks. I bet I do have inflammation. Is the dry eye the source of the inflammation? Can anything be done to reduce it?

My right eye is the glare eye, the dry(er) eye and the one with bad astigmatism. I can't believe it's not related somehow, but eye docs blow me off when I try to talk about anything except what prescription to put in front.

[Súil Eile]

The drier my eyes get, the more photosensitive they become. For me, DES affects my vision in two ways - the dryness makes my vision blurry, and the associated inflammation makes them sensitive to light/ glare. I nearly always wear sunglasses outdoors, and indoors if there's harsh lighting such as in a supermarket.

Are you sensitive to light in general, or is only discerning objects in front of a light source?

[Mastiff]

Both really, but the glare thing bothers me more, especially the differential between eyes. I generally don't wear sunglasses, but some situations are really bad, like getting behind a truck where the sun is reflecting off the rear glass. I need to put the visor down I just watch his tires. That's not a glare thing, just the brightness.

I would wear sunglasses more, but my prescription is such that I really notice the difference going between different frames even if the Rx is supposed to be the same. I'm ordering a pair with clip ons this time, but a lot of times those don't have the coverage of a real sunglass which can be bothersome.

I wonder if you can get polarized lenses without darkening tint?

[magoo]

I use sunglasses that fit over my prescription glasses. I just get them at the drugstore. They have great coverage all around, they cut way down on the glare and also protect my eyes somewhat from the wind. Not clip on, these are the kind that go over the ears.

[Mastiff]

I use sunglasses that fit over my prescription glasses. I just get them at the drugstore. They have great coverage all around, they cut way down on the glare and also protect my eyes somewhat from the wind. Not clip on, these are the kind that go over the ears.

Yeah, I was trying to find some like that. I have small glasses and a small face, so it's hard to find ones that don't look ridiculous. I've seen plenty of bigger guys with the "old man" glasses that look totally normal with them. I do keep my eyes open for a set that would fit me right.

[mgshutterbug]

Glare and light sensitivity

I use the 7 EYE (old Panoptx company) during all my waking hrs. I have one set for sunglasses, another for computer, and a third set of bifocals for indoors. I can't tolerate for even a minute or two w/o them, my eyes scream in pain, my vision gets very fuzzy, and that's all despite the fact that I wear the glasses all the time, and put in Muro drops, and Genteal drops regularly. I was using Restasis for about 1 1/2 mos, but stopped because my COBRA hasn't picked up yet, and I can't afford it. I'll restart it once I get insurance back. But when I go on the insurance at my new job, the coverage has much higher copays than what I was paying, so I'm not sure I'll be able to afford it then either. I have EBMD as well as RCEs. The swelling in my corneas was gone the last time I went to ophthalmologist, but I was told to keep using the Muro 4x/daily. When I have any swelling at all, glare is so bad that I can barely see when outside, no matter how dark my sunglasses are. But the glare is much much worse when I have an erosion, and have corneal swelling. But I always have substantial life sensitivity. It's just that it gets totally unbearable when I have RCEs and corneal swelling.

When I try to see to focus (am, or was, a semi-professional photographer as my newly budding 2nd job) my camera manually, it's now impossible. Between the EBMD, and DES, I can't focus sharply on anything. It's really been depressing and frustrating. The moment I try to focus, my eyes become instantly like the Sahara, and that's it. I've had to give up on manual focusing my camera, stick w/autofocus, which is maddening.

Anyhow, I'm sorry you have all the difficulty w/glare and light sensitivity. But for me, the glare is the absolute worst when the corneal swelling is going on, and when I have an erosion. Don't know if that response was any help to you.

[Mastiff]

Thanks for the reply. I went to my normal eye doc to ask about the glare and fog in the mornings. She tried to be helpful and took took time with me, but didn't really offer anything except that I could try the muro 128 to see if it helped, plus a referral to an ophthalmologist. So far I haven't seen any striking difference with the muro, and it burns like crazy going in. I suppose I should try the ointment for at night, but I hate having the goop. I wake up to fog every morning almost, but it passed in a few minutes and then it's just the more subtle glare issue.

[mgshutterbug]

"Fog" for me was erosions

Just got your reply - When I woke up w/"Fog" in the a.m., the "fog" was really corneal erosions. My eyes are so dry, and damaged also by EBMD, that if I don't use ointment at nite, and Muro drops (now use sochlor) to deal w/corneal edema, and Genteal drops in between each set of Muro drops, I will also get the "fog", a layer of the cornea pulled off, an erosion. I have MGD as well, and anesthetized eye, all contributing their part to severe dry eye, and RCEs.

I wish you well.

But I would definitely seek out an ophthalmologist perhaps at a university, or a well-known clinic, to definitively diagnose what specific dysfunctions you have. Opticians and optometrists do not have the medical knowledge, expertise, experience, to assess the type of problems you are having. A good start, might be to ask if anyone here is from whatever state or country you hail from, and ask them what reputable treatment centers are near you. Or ask Rebecca, or one of the moderators, they may know a treatment center in your area.

[msny]

I'm getting paranoid. It really seems like I'm having an extra hard time seeing in the presence of glare. For example if there is a bright window in the background, it seems like objects and people in the foreground are turning more and more into silhouettes with less discernible detail. More disturbing is that my right eye is noticeably worse than my left.

I'd like it to be dry eye related as opposed to cataracts, since I'm still too young for that. What experiences can people share regarding glare and dry eye? I wake up in the morning always to foggy vision until some tears get flowing, but the level of glare issue I'm talking about here seems to persist all day and is no better even right after putting in some drops. I would think the drops would solve the problem if it was just a dry cornea issue.

Two things get me: glare & driving at sunset
Road trips for me in the summer are very hard to do,
and I like to travel.

I've had cataracts removed in both eyes, several years ago, so
I know its my blurry dry eye.

So, it might not have cataracts at all.
Check with your doctor!

[LaDiva]

I was having a bad time with light sensitivity (especially florescent lights), but it seems to have gotten better since using Systane Ointment at night. Hope your problem improves soon.

[Joseph]

This is a big BIG part of my dry eye anxiety. The reason I say anxiety is because when I have light sensitivity and glare I always start to think that there is something really wrong with my eyes and I am going blind.. Vision problems scare the hack out of me. All of the doctors that I have seen say everything looks healthy but it is still scary...

[libralady]

Joseph I have replied to your previous post about dry eyes and hazy vision.

[adienich]

I know some of the posts in this thread are older, but I found it interesting in relation my recent problems. I've had a lot of problems with glare lately, too. It's worse at night, in the dark, not so much in the daytime, sometimes in really bright sunlight too. My left eye is more dry with more astigmatism too, so similar kind of coincidence that Mastiff was describing above too.

Lately I've also had more problems with occasional blurring of the vision which goes away or gets better with blinking. The eyes don't always so much feel dry, more like a bit watery or otherwise strange. I guess this is normal for dry eye though, or is it not?