Reviewing my MGD regime

[RisingMoon]

Hi, I've had dry eyes for about 7 years, diagnosed about 4 years ago (previous doc kept saying I had conjunctivitis and gave me so many lots of chloramphenicol that I am now allergic to it- thank god we moved house!). Course all they did was tell me to go and buy some Viscotears.... which I am also now allergic to..... which I am glad about as if it wasn't for that I wouldn't have come here and found out about BAK and expressing the glands and all that (the doc did tell me to lid scrub with baby shampoo and a Q tip but I have very sensitive eyes that react to most make up removers etc, tried it once and never again!)

I use Clarymist a few times a day and have been doing a lid scrub each morning with Ocusoft foam, plus each night a compress with a rice bag and massage. I have Viscotears preservative free for when I need it, which is about once a week.

I just ran out of Ocusoft so seems like a good time to review. My symptoms I guess are fairly mild. I used to get lots of the little white spots but rarely get them now, but must still have clogging because me eyes are still dry.

I'm wondering about trying saline and a Q tip for the scrub instead just in case using a wash isn't so great for me (as I read some people's tear film is further destabilised by using those). Does that sound like a good idea? I thought since my eyes are very sensitive it might be better (I have very sensitive skin generally, most shampoos irritate my scalp, lots of allergies and food intolerances etc ). If so what product do I buy in the UK?

Also, is it worth trying doing a compress in the mornings too? I feel like it doesn't make much difference but maybe I'm not doing the massage very well. Fiddling around with my eyes makes me feel squeamish!

The Clarymist is a godsend, I am so thankful I read about that here. Even the prsservative free Viscotears doesn't seem to agree that well with my eyes, I'd be willing to bet they'd rather not have anything put into them.

Oh, and I also take omega 3s and have been trying EPA as well.

[irish eyes]

My eyes are extremely sensitive so commercial lid scrubs / foams are not an option because they are all too harsh.

Burts Bees baby shampoo is the only thing I can tolerate at present so I use a little of that in a diluted form. Other brands of baby shampoo that claim to be mild & gentle are anything but that - so I never use them.

By saline, I assume you mean boiled water with a little salt added. That is worth a go - as is boiled water with a little bircarbonate of soda.

Why not try something other than Viscotears? I'm the last person to recommend anything because I reached a point where I couldn't use artificial lubricants at all - but there are plenty of things on the market. I have bought a number of items from this UK online shop; they have always been nice & easy to deal with.
http://www.dry-eyes.co.uk/index.html

[RisingMoon]

Thanks, I'll have a look. It's mainly that I'm on a v tight budget and have free prescriptions at the moment, so can get the Viscotears preservative free for nothing. I've only been using it for a little while so only just starting to wonder if it's not working that well. Most of the time the Clarymist is all I need. I might go back sometime and ask to try something else but I only just got them to agree I need preservative free and that I'm gluten intolerant rather than depressed so I don't really want to go back right now.

I saw some people talking about using sterile saline but if I could just make some with boiled water and salt that would be fab (ie cheap LOL). Come to think of it I think my sister uses salt water and a cotton bud to do her eyes (she has dry eye due to facial paralysis complicated by blepharitis and uses preseravtive free gel tears and tapes her eyes shut at night).

I also thought about trying diluting my facial wash/ shampoo to use- it's Pure Nuff Stuff sulphate and paraben free, only uses a very mild cleansing agent and no fragrance. I might try that if the saline doesn't work well. It's this but I get fragrance free http://www.purenuffstuff.co.uk/face/...g-facewash.htm. Should be better than baby shampoo. If I wouldn't use sulphates and parabens on my scalp or face why would I use them on my eyelids?!

[Rebecca Petris]

I think the unpreserved saline product in the UK is called Steripods. That's what I would use for scrubs if I were there. Good luck with the regimen switch. I think it is a good idea to go chemical-free for awhile after using a lot of 'stuff' in the eyes - especially if as it seems you have a history of developing sensitivities to substances pretty quickly.

[irish eyes]

RisingMoon

If you would like to try Systane PF, I can let you have a few vials. They are still `in date' but they don't suit my eyes at present. Contact me by pm if you would like me to send you some. This condition can be very demanding on the pocket!

Thanks for the link on the fragrance free stuff - I hadn't heard of that company before.

Rebecca - I agree with your point on trying to go chemical free if one can, even if it's for a short time. I hadn't thought about saline products being so readily available in vials; most employers should keep a stock for emergency use in the workplace so there are likely to be plenty of reasonably priced generic products available -