My Tablet Hell

[mvallence90]

Hey DEZ, my name is Matt and I'm 24 from Melbourne Australia.

I've been fighting dry eye for 3 years and my life is at a complete standstill. If I'm able to get at night once every 3 months to see people thats about as good as it gets currently.

I have dry eye syndrome with my issues being posterior blepharitis, MGD, partial blink (worse in my right eye) which also leads to nocturnal lagopthalmos.

I have plugs in the lower part of my eyes and they haven't done a whole lot. I use Hylo-Forte, Poly-Gel, TheraTears throughout the day, have to use warm compresses with a hand-towel at least 5 times a day, use Sterilid in the shower and use Genteal Gel at night.

Now after seeing many specialist in my home state of Melbourne that had no clue at all, I had some progress with a clinic in Sydney were I was diagnosed with the above conditions. For the posterior bleph and MGD I was told to take Doxycycline 50mg once a day in the morning. I was told it would take 3-6 months to take effect.

After a month on the tablet my symptoms and pain were at a 10 when the usually sit at a 7. I've been told there is no chance that tablets will make my eyes drier but I know what my body feels and its the tablets that have made things worse.

I took anti-depressants (lexapro mainly, and a few others) for 2 and a half years from 2010, and my entire dry eye issue started near the end of 2011. I believe its that tablets that have caused my condition in the 1st place and every time since Ive tried a chemical tablet with major side effects my condition has been worse. I suffer greatly from anxiety and depression but cannot treat them like most due to how the tablets effect my eyes.

Now it looks like I cannot treat my meibomian gland dysfunction properly as well due to this issue. I'm at a complete loss as what to do and need some help. Any other treatment options for my conditions that dont invlove tablets is essential for me and any input would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

[epicjinx]

Hi, sorry to hear your story ive not had mgd long and want to scream every day pretty much. You can try a better warm compress for a start because a wash cloth doesnt stay warm long try an mgd mask, i use thera pearl, fish oil tablets can help but you have to find ones that help or try flax seed oil the OIL not capsules ive tried both of these with lack of luck, You should also get a meibography i think its called ( a look at your oil glands) to tell you what condition they are in: healthly, atrophied (this doesnt happen for several years by my optremist telling me), or blocked. And, know what it coming out for me it was a grade from 0 being the best and 4 the worst i got a 2 but only my bottom ones checked and never checked the top ones which im going back to ask about and ask the oil itself what its like. You can also try Azasite which ive heard can help too, there are more expensive treatments (depends on how much money you have/willing to spend) such as: MGD probing/IPL/Lipiflow, other supplements ive heard that helps is: NAC, and Biotin. I hope this helps! There is also something being in process? for curing MGD but no one knows when the human clinical trials are/when they will be, because it keeps changing. http://www.neuroptis.com/Biotech/Press.html there is hope ^^, but dunno when it will be produced i may ask myself... Also lacritin is becoming something in the next few years it helps the water layer and some say oil? and they can bioengineer a lacrimal gland but that will take many years too. Hope this helps what you are asking about? Oh one more thing, keep those oil glands open and doing their best because you cant get em back if they go, then you are buggered basically.

[pattyleo]

I am pretty sure antidepressants, most of them, can cause or contribute to dry eye symptoms. I have been on Endep, Dothep the last few years and since then I have had MGD, Blepharitis and DED. Not sure what they do but maybe somehow they effect hormones, androgens and cause an imbalance. There have been studies that suggest androgen deficiency can cause or at least contribute to MGD. Lacritec is a supplement available in Australia. Give that a try but you have to take it for at least 2 months. Astaxanthin is another supplement that I have heard can help dry eyes when taken together with fish oil for its antioxidant properties.

[Klee]

Hey DEZ, my name is Matt and I'm 24 from Melbourne Australia.

I've been fighting dry eye for 3 years and my life is at a complete standstill. If I'm able to get at night once every 3 months to see people thats about as good as it gets currently.

I have dry eye syndrome with my issues being posterior blepharitis, MGD, partial blink (worse in my right eye) which also leads to nocturnal lagopthalmos.

I have plugs in the lower part of my eyes and they haven't done a whole lot. I use Hylo-Forte, Poly-Gel, TheraTears throughout the day, have to use warm compresses with a hand-towel at least 5 times a day, use Sterilid in the shower and use Genteal Gel at night.

Now after seeing many specialist in my home state of Melbourne that had no clue at all, I had some progress with a clinic in Sydney were I was diagnosed with the above conditions. For the posterior bleph and MGD I was told to take Doxycycline 50mg once a day in the morning. I was told it would take 3-6 months to take effect.

After a month on the tablet my symptoms and pain were at a 10 when the usually sit at a 7. I've been told there is no chance that tablets will make my eyes drier but I know what my body feels and its the tablets that have made things worse.

I took anti-depressants (lexapro mainly, and a few others) for 2 and a half years from 2010, and my entire dry eye issue started near the end of 2011. I believe its that tablets that have caused my condition in the 1st place and every time since Ive tried a chemical tablet with major side effects my condition has been worse. I suffer greatly from anxiety and depression but cannot treat them like most due to how the tablets effect my eyes.

Now it looks like I cannot treat my meibomian gland dysfunction properly as well due to this issue. I'm at a complete loss as what to do and need some help. Any other treatment options for my conditions that dont invlove tablets is essential for me and any input would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Perhaps there is something in the doxy you are allergic too. There are other options for antibiotics. I believe one is called minocycline? I am about to try one of these soon.