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First off this website has been fantastic for me and for a lot of people and I greatly appreciate the forms!
Here is a brief history of my condition: I am a red head so naturally I have sensitive skin. Several years ago my eye doctor said I had dry skin on my eyelid margins and to do lid scrubs at night followed by GenTeal for moisture. At that time I wore contact dailies. My eyes were always red and burning but not to the point of true discomfort.
In November my eyelids started swelling...bad. I stopped the contacts and saw my eye doctor. He said my eye look like sometime took sandpaper to them they were so dry. So he put me on Lotemax 4x/day for one month to reduce the swelling, then taper off to 2x/day for one month. He said that should help with my dry eye and if I ever get swelling again, do the Lotemax drops 4x/day for one week then stop (he called is "Pulse Dosing"). My eyes got better mid-December for a week then flared up again (I did not do anything different with my routine). I did the Lotemax drops for one week and at the same time found this site. I switched my regim up and cleaned my lids with Unisol 4 2x/day and used Refresh Celluvisc as moisturizer for the eyelids and eyelid margin. My eyes cleared up for a week then they swelled again (no change to routine). I went back to Lotemax and at the same time bought "The Dry Eye Zone." I am only day three into a new routine but I have some general questions:
1. I dumped the baby shampoo and bought Sterilid foam. I have read a lot of good things about Occusoft foam as well. Do I really need the antibacterial agent in Sterilid? Will Saline scrubs do the same as Occusoft or Sterilid? Again, I have very sensitive and dry skin.
2. I think part of my swelling/eyelid redness is from dry skin (natural red head). My doctor told me to use Refresh PM at night and put it on my eyelids and eyelid margin and then wipe it off in the morning. My eyes dont feel as dry but they are still red. Is anyone using other moisturizer besides an ointment for their eyelids and eyelid margin? If I moisturize my eyelid margin will I plug the meiobium glands?
3. In the mornings my eyes are dry. For a while I would put Refresh Celluvisc in before bedtime but hated waking up to crusted eyelids. Are drops truely beneficial to the eyes? In other words, will they help heal and restore the lipid layer?
4. This is my routine as of today: just before shower is completed I use Sterilid and wash it off right away. I express the lids per The Dry Eye Zone (I have no clue if I am doing it right as I cannot see anything come out). I get out of the shower, dry off, and rinse the eye with Unisol 4. I then put a cool compress on my eyes to reduce inflammation. After the compress, I put Refresh PM on and pray my eyes get better. Int he morning, I wipe my eyes with a warm wash cloth and call it good. Do I need to change something? Can I use Unisol 4 as a saline rinse even though the box says not to use as eye drops?
I really appreciate any advice/comments/recommendations anyone has. I am probably on the right track (fingers crossed) and just need to leave my eyes alone and let them heal. My wife is a nurse and one thing I have learned is the body can do amazing things if left alone. But like most of us, im OCD when it comes to this kind of stuff!!
Here is a brief history of my condition: I am a red head so naturally I have sensitive skin. Several years ago my eye doctor said I had dry skin on my eyelid margins and to do lid scrubs at night followed by GenTeal for moisture. At that time I wore contact dailies. My eyes were always red and burning but not to the point of true discomfort.
In November my eyelids started swelling...bad. I stopped the contacts and saw my eye doctor. He said my eye look like sometime took sandpaper to them they were so dry. So he put me on Lotemax 4x/day for one month to reduce the swelling, then taper off to 2x/day for one month. He said that should help with my dry eye and if I ever get swelling again, do the Lotemax drops 4x/day for one week then stop (he called is "Pulse Dosing"). My eyes got better mid-December for a week then flared up again (I did not do anything different with my routine). I did the Lotemax drops for one week and at the same time found this site. I switched my regim up and cleaned my lids with Unisol 4 2x/day and used Refresh Celluvisc as moisturizer for the eyelids and eyelid margin. My eyes cleared up for a week then they swelled again (no change to routine). I went back to Lotemax and at the same time bought "The Dry Eye Zone." I am only day three into a new routine but I have some general questions:
1. I dumped the baby shampoo and bought Sterilid foam. I have read a lot of good things about Occusoft foam as well. Do I really need the antibacterial agent in Sterilid? Will Saline scrubs do the same as Occusoft or Sterilid? Again, I have very sensitive and dry skin.
2. I think part of my swelling/eyelid redness is from dry skin (natural red head). My doctor told me to use Refresh PM at night and put it on my eyelids and eyelid margin and then wipe it off in the morning. My eyes dont feel as dry but they are still red. Is anyone using other moisturizer besides an ointment for their eyelids and eyelid margin? If I moisturize my eyelid margin will I plug the meiobium glands?
3. In the mornings my eyes are dry. For a while I would put Refresh Celluvisc in before bedtime but hated waking up to crusted eyelids. Are drops truely beneficial to the eyes? In other words, will they help heal and restore the lipid layer?
4. This is my routine as of today: just before shower is completed I use Sterilid and wash it off right away. I express the lids per The Dry Eye Zone (I have no clue if I am doing it right as I cannot see anything come out). I get out of the shower, dry off, and rinse the eye with Unisol 4. I then put a cool compress on my eyes to reduce inflammation. After the compress, I put Refresh PM on and pray my eyes get better. Int he morning, I wipe my eyes with a warm wash cloth and call it good. Do I need to change something? Can I use Unisol 4 as a saline rinse even though the box says not to use as eye drops?
I really appreciate any advice/comments/recommendations anyone has. I am probably on the right track (fingers crossed) and just need to leave my eyes alone and let them heal. My wife is a nurse and one thing I have learned is the body can do amazing things if left alone. But like most of us, im OCD when it comes to this kind of stuff!!
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