doc is retiring end of february.. worried about finding 1 to express glands..

[jenny2008]

just found out today that eye doc is retiring officially feb 28th. so bummed..2nd time this has happened to me..
i just hope one of his associates will express my glands... he did such a good job and the one associate told me he doesnt like to express
glands but that he probably would

what is with doctors not wanting to express glands..? it hurts us not them!! wish me luck~!!! i live in a small town..not a lot of
good opthamologists or optometrists to choose from to do the gland expression!

[littlemermaid]

Trusted ophth retiring or moving on hurts, doesn't it. I feel your pain. I guess it's checking out who and what's going to be available without panicking, and being open to new ministrations. I'm a panicker

Have you ever managed to keep the glands good yourself by taking flax/fishoil supplements and warm compress and gentle pressure? Can you check the MG line yourself pressing gently upwards with 2-finger pressure underneath lower eyelashline close up to a mirror in very good daylight? My teenager can do this as long as the glands are not inflamed. Might take some of the worry away to feel more control over the treatment, if poss.

[jenny2008]

my glands dont stay open. my doc said i am the worst case of dry eye he has seen.. great.. anyway. looks like i will be seeing another doc there-he said he can express my glands..he doesnt like to but said he will do it montly
thans for taking the time to respond.. it means a lot u caare.. thanks
and yes i take 4000mg fish oil .. pharaceutical grade..and the warm compresses.thanks.

[wantsim]

jenny have you ever though of expessing the glands yourself? you can purchase a Mastrota meibomian paddle. It was created by optometrit Dr. Mastrota. it's made of titanium and is around $50. just google it. I purchased mine from an eyecare supply online store.

Normally I do warm compess then express the glands in front of my full length mirrow. I boil the meibomian paddle for several minutes before using it....allowing it to cool first of course.
Just be careful not to press too hard so that you could bruise your eyelid

[jenny2008]

wantsim... can you pm more info?? i have thought abut it but am scared to do it myself... since the doc numbs my eyes i am afraid it will hurt badly if i do it and/or i wont get all the stuff out! or cause any eye infection.. i would love to hear more! thanks!!!

and littlemermaid.. i have found an optometrist who uses this paddle-he did a pretty good job but will only do it every 6 weeks..also my right eye is bone dry from sjogrens.. not much i can do there except pray!

[wantsim]

jenny it doesn't hurt at all, but if you press extra hard on the eyelid then it would hurt on the outer part of the eyelid, not on the inside of your eyelid.
I just googled it. there are some youtube videos available that an ophthalmologist took of the paddle in use. you can purchase a paddle for yourself from http://www.suppleyes.net/PHARMACEUTICALS.html and it is in the middle of the page. It is actually $65.
The paddle itself has a larger end for the upper lids, and a smaller end for the lower lids.
Pinch your eyelid so it tents up away from your eyeball, and place the paddle along the inner aspect of the lid. Then, maintaining pressure outward (so as to not apply excess pressure directly onto the eyeball) use your fingers of the opposite hand to press on the outside of the eyelid while at the same time applying pressure outward with the paddle, so as to pinch the lid.....so your eyelid is sandwiched between the paddle and your fingers. You don't want to have the paddle pressing up against the white part of your eye too much of it will get red. You may notice some thick goop being expressed, which is what you want. The harder you press, the more it hurts.
The white part of your eye generally lacks sensation, but stay away from the cornea of your eye, where the nerve endings are.

You can totally do this yourself at home. Just be sure to practice clean technique, wash your hands, boil the meibomian paddle to disinfect, and it sure is more convenient that going to ophthalmology office to have it done.

The 6 ophthalmologists that I have seen all don't like to do meibomian gland expression, and it was actually the oculoplastic surgeon who said why don't you just do it yourself at home with the meibomian paddle and I have been for the past year.

Hope this helps? maybe you could have your eye doctor do it without anesthetizing eye drops so you can see how it feels with the paddle?

[jenny2008]

thanks..do your docs know u do this??miine would have a fit! he will only express them every 6 weeks..he said otherwise they can be damaged... how hard do u push?im assuming you cant push to hard without it being number?
thanks for ur help

[wantsim]

yes they all know I do it LOL. they all seem to not want to do it for me. I think they're grossed out by it.
I push until I feel a pinch, and hold it for a few seconds, then you can see the gunk expressed out. it's kinda gross but you know it's helping.

[jenny2008]

hey there
thanks for replying..do you boil it in a pan on the stove ??? also how often do u use it on ur lids?? thanks!!! and also how can u do the top lids? seems like those would be hard to do?

[patientpatrick]

Wantism: Are you still expressing your glands at home? notice any difference?

P