Theory!

[ttdub]

Okay, here it is: Doctors are afraid to prescribe people with antibiotics for long periods of time because it makes our bodies immune system quit working as well because it doesn't have to, due to the antibiotics. Well, what if this same thing is happening to our eyes. We are putting drop after drop after drop in our eyes not forcing them to produce tears because we are doing it for them so they have no reason to start working. So the theory is if we quit putting drops in (as painful as it may be), it will force our body to fix the problem.

[odydnas]

Hm...I don't advocate people to stop using drops and then their eyes will suddenly get better. If only there were diseases where we could "force" our body to fix itself.

Docs don't prescribe big doses of antibiotics for a long time because 1. it contributes to antibiotic resistance and 2. there are a lot of bad side effects for long term antibiotic use (toxicity buildup, increase chance of cancer, wipe out the good bacteria, affect health of organs, etc).

It's true that using too many drops can have its problems as well: toxicity buildup, increase chance of becoming allergic to it, and as well as kind of tricking the eye to not need to produce more tears (kind of like how plugs make decrease tear production in some cases). But I don't think stopping drops will force our eyes to start being healthy again. We didn't develop dry eye because we were using too many eye drops...we started using eye drops after we got dry eye. So eye drops didn't cause our dry eyes to start, and stopping use of them won't make our dry eye go away. Many of us have DE symptoms due to a vicious cycle of inflammation and something going wrong...which came first, the chicken or egg is unknown, and it is important to treat the root cause (if we could only figure it out) of the DE.

While drops don't necessarily treat the problem, it can bring some short term relief, which is something we all need. Also, some docs think that using drops regularly (esp chilled drops) can help with inflammation. And then there's Dwell, Freshkote, Dakrina, and Nutratear, which based on anedoctal evidence seems to have some healing effects for some people. Of course, we should all stay away from drops with preservatives in them and "get the red out" drops, which can cause harm and make our DE worse.

I do think that one way we can help our body heal itself is being healthy: eating healthy, getting enough sleep, exercising, avoiding allergens, protecting our eyes, and giving our eyes a break from computers, tv, and reading.

[Gretchen]

TTD -

Quitting drops is a bad idea if you have such low Schirmers'. If you look at the inflammatory cycle of dry eye, you will see that dryness begets dryness. Drying of the ocular surface only increases inflammation, leading to dysfunctional epithelium, lacrimal function and meibum production. Keep your eyes wet.

Gretchen

[ttdub]

Hm...I don't advocate people to stop using drops and then their eyes will suddenly get better. If only there were diseases where we could "force" our body to fix itself.

Docs don't prescribe big doses of antibiotics for a long time because 1. it contributes to antibiotic resistance and 2. there are a lot of bad side effects for long term antibiotic use (toxicity buildup, increase chance of cancer, wipe out the good bacteria, affect health of organs, etc).

It's true that using too many drops can have its problems as well: toxicity buildup, increase chance of becoming allergic to it, and as well as kind of tricking the eye to not need to produce more tears (kind of like how plugs make decrease tear production in some cases). But I don't think stopping drops will force our eyes to start being healthy again. We didn't develop dry eye because we were using too many eye drops...we started using eye drops after we got dry eye. So eye drops didn't cause our dry eyes to start, and stopping use of them won't make our dry eye go away. Many of us have DE symptoms due to a vicious cycle of inflammation and something going wrong...which came first, the chicken or egg is unknown, and it is important to treat the root cause (if we could only figure it out) of the DE.

While drops don't necessarily treat the problem, it can bring some short term relief, which is something we all need. Also, some docs think that using drops regularly (esp chilled drops) can help with inflammation. And then there's Dwell, Freshkote, Dakrina, and Nutratear, which based on anedoctal evidence seems to have some healing effects for some people. Of course, we should all stay away from drops with preservatives in them and "get the red out" drops, which can cause harm and make our DE worse.

I do think that one way we can help our body heal itself is being healthy: eating healthy, getting enough sleep, exercising, avoiding allergens, protecting our eyes, and giving our eyes a break from computers, tv, and reading.

O NO! I'm sorry, I didn't actually mean to advise anyone to do this. It was more of a thought. I know there are other reasons why long term antibiotics are bad. That is just another one. Our bodies get used to having things done for it and that is bad.

[ttdub]

TTD -

Quitting drops is a bad idea if you have such low Schirmers'. If you look at the inflammatory cycle of dry eye, you will see that dryness begets dryness. Drying of the ocular surface only increases inflammation, leading to dysfunctional epithelium, lacrimal function and meibum production. Keep your eyes wet.

Gretchen

Oh yes, I agree with you Gretchen, it really was just a thought I had. And I don't necessarily mean for people with inflammation. Possibly Lasix dry eyes. And a Disclaimer: please people don't try this. I was just thinking and writing. I doubt it would actually work.