Muro and Dry Eyes?

[Peter]

I'm in a bit of a dilemma. I've had the common symptoms of dry eyes for around the past 20 years....blepharitus and reduced oil secretion. My left eye is in worse shape than my right (2mm vs 11mm on the dry eye strip test) and it has always been this way. Back in my hard contact lens days I suffered a pretty bad scratch and was put on Muro ointment. After I healed I felt so much better in the mornings that I have continued to use Muro for the last 20 years on a daily basis. Compared to other ointments, such as Lacrilube, for me there is no comparison, and even though it is 5% hypertonic I don't suffer any burning at all. I'm not sure it is the hypertonic solution that is helping because I've noticed that the Muro formulation is not like Lacrilube in that it contains a modified lanolin. I suspect the lanolin might be why it seems to protect my eye better at night. Now I'm seeing a new Opthomologist, a corneal surgeon in Sydney, who I have a lot of confidence and respect for. When I told her about my Muro use she got rather bothered by this and has told me I really should stop! Her reasoning is that Muro is for corneal edema. In other words the hypertonic nature would be to draw moisture out of the cornea, so how could that "help" dry eyes. So, for two weeks now I've tried to stop Muro and have tried two other ointments, Lacrilube and Ircal. They work a bit for me but I just feel so much better with the Muro. It's about feeling better isn't it? Theory is theory, but should I care? I can't quite imagine I'm hurting myself using Muro though maybe someone can set me straight! Thanks for any suggestions.

Also, if anyone can tell me of an ointment with a similar composition to Muro, but with out the hypertonicity, I'd be most appreciative.

[liz56]

Hi, Peter.

I suffer from chronic cornea edema, and I use Dwelle, just as you use Muro.

You may want to ask your corneal specialist, citing a protracted healing process after a corneal injury, if she notes any signs of map-dot-fingerprint dystrophy (aka Epithelial Basement Membrane Dystrophy, EBMD, or Cogan's dystrophy). If she diagnoses you with this condition, then it will be clear that the Muro works for you, because you do suffer from corneal edema and need moisture on the outer surface of the cornea, yes, but something that "dries up" the cystic basement membrane on the back end of the epithelium to help the anchor cells attach the epithelium to the basement membrane. You also may want to consult other corneal specialists, as EBMD is very hard to detect.

I hope this helps.

Best wishes to you,
Liz

[Lucy]

Hi Peter,

Liz gave you an excellent explanation of your problems! Well done, Liz!!
I have Lasik dry eye, Sjogrens and EBMD, and not necessarily in that order.
In my cache' of eye stuff, I have Muro and Dwelle as two of my staple meds. I've used Dwelle for many years and it does a good job and I use it for overnight. Sometimes my eyes get where Dwelle doesn't do the job for awhile and that's when I use Muro ointment for awhile. It does not burn my eyes either.

My ophthalmologist told me that I could use Muro ointment "forever" and it wouldn't do any harm. I'm not sure I believe him, but it eased my fear of using it. Good luck. Lucy

[liz56]

Thanks for the kind remarks, Lucy.

I'm glad that Lucy raised the opinion of her ophthalmologist. My first corneal doctor said the same thing to me, and the only reason I did not stay with it was because it was not helping me enough. This site (as per Dr. Holly's advice) steers people away from ointment, not because it damages the cornea in any way but for some it causes the glands of the eyelids to become blocked.

I also noticed that you asked for an alternative ointment. In the US there is an alternative / generic, and Rebecca had it in the Dry Eye Shop (and may still have), but I have not checked for some time, as I switched to Dwelle through the day. (I use Genteal Gel at night.)

Best wishes, Peter.

--Liz

[Peter]

Liz and Lucy,

Many thanks for your thoughtful replies! All of which I have taken on board. I've ordered Dwelle and will give it a try!

Thanks,

Peter