after gland expression-gook keeps coming out?

[jenny2008]

does anybody else get a lot of gook (yellowish -clear) that seeps out of the eye after getting eyes expressed? my doc says this is normal...

[dryasadesert]

i express my glands every night....they clog every night...it drives me frickin crazy. just dont get it.

[Hopeful2]

Just curious . . . maybe a dumb question . . . how do you know that they clog up again every night? The glands are supposed to be secreting small amount of secretions with each blink. If I didn't express my glands, I wouldn't know that they were secreting anything. I use a 10 X mirror and with a very good light I can see small pools of clear liquid. Was it plugged before I started expressing. . . I really don't know.

[dryasadesert]

bc white toothpaste crap comes out and i have to push on them hard to make it come out.....means they are not expressing clear liquid when i blink normally

[Lacey1]

How do you express your glands? I've tried in the past by pressing down on them, but honestly I can't see anything.

[dryasadesert]

i use the mastrota paddle...

[Hopeful2]

I understand dryasadesert. If your secretions are thick then I would guess that they are not coming out when you blink. Looks like many of us present with different kinds of MGD.

Lacey . . . I use a warm compress for 4 minutes. I have a 10 x magnifying mirror resting on a lamp, in a bright room. After my compress, I wipe the lid margin with a saline moistened Q tip. I then dry area with a clean finger. I roll the Q tip from lower down on lid to lid margin and hold it in place for about 5 sec. . . also I pull my lid away from my eye so that I can easily see the gland openings. My glands open right against my eye. If I don't pull the lid away a bit I don't see the openings. When I did this a couple of months ago, I didn't see anything coming out, even with a good mirror. So in my case, I think I am starting to produce more meibum. . . I just hope the quality and quantity continue to improve. By the way, I don't see anything coming out of the upper glands, but I do feel a wetness after I've pressed on them. I presume this means that they have released some meibum.

[littlemermaid]

Dryasadesert,
What are you using to try to change the consistency of the meibom? Have you had any success with oral antibiotics, eliminating fats and supplementing with omega 3 oils? We are finding no progress without focussing primarily on improving lipids (and controlling skin inflammation) and diet seems to be a help, although, same, without daily warm compress and gentle massage the glands clog.

[Hopeful2]

Dryasadesert, can you let us know where you ordered your Mastrota paddle from? My optometrist was keen to order one but said she couldn't find a supplier.

If I'm not mistaken, fish oils are supposed to be better at fighting the inflammation, and flax seed oil is supposed to be better at thining the secretion . . . might be worth taking a mixture of both. Also Astaxanthin is supposed to increase the effectiveness of the fish oils. Something I have started doing recently is increasing my quality protein intake (whey powder) . . . meibum has a fair amount of protein to it as well. . . I know I wasn't consuming enough protein, and I personally think it helps with MGD.

[dryasadesert]

link for the paddle.....http://www.suppleyes.net/PHARMACEUTICALS.html

thanks but i have tried all the fish oil, flax, antibiotics, restasis, azasite, steriods, IPL for long periods of time....none of it works for me

[Anthony16]

link for the paddle.....http://www.suppleyes.net/PHARMACEUTICALS.html

thanks but i have tried all the fish oil, flax, antibiotics, restasis, azasite, steriods, IPL for long periods of time....none of it works for me

Hey mate,
May i ask if ur glands are atrophied or just not working?
If steroids didnt help there must be a lot of inflammation.
U tried probing?
Iv seen a great interview on youtube.
here it is
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQ0_drKMObQ
Hope fully in the future they will find a good anti inflammatory drop for us all

[dryasadesert]

yes...most of my glands are working. they just clog up everyday.

the probing thing wont help if they are reclogging everyday....also i am still quite unconvinced that probing like that does not cause internal damage to the gland walls, etc.

[Anthony16]

Id agree with u on that.However,dr ****** thinks that if u unclog those glands then the inflammation cycle is broken.I dont know.he says he has never seen a complication.
May i also ask if u have tried any diets like the candida diet?A few members on here have reported success with these.
I think there is also a strong correlation between MGD and androgen deficiency.
Just a thought
Cheers

yes...most of my glands are working. they just clog up everyday.

the probing thing wont help if they are reclogging everyday....also i am still quite unconvinced that probing like that does not cause internal damage to the gland walls, etc.

[Tankie]

I just want to throw out there that I got my glands expressed today for the first time. It was relatively painless and there was no gook coming out after I left the doctor's office. I'm going back in 1 week to get it done again. I'll keep you posted.

The bad news though, is that I'm still in pain today. Maybe with enough compresses and expressions I will be in better shape, but 1 was definitely not enough.

[jenny2008]

i got mine done yest-just the lowers. stll have some gook but should be gone by tomorrow. mine comes out like toothpaste. have had other docs do it andnothing comes out but they seemed clogged again in days so i think my new doc and his technique of pushing hard is really helping..