plugs?

[beclou90]

Hello
I have had dry eyes for 3 n a half ywars now and now it is making my life misery. I uses to be a bubbly happy person but now I find it hard to be when suffering what feels like constantly everyday. My tear evaporate too quicky at 2-3 seconds. They sting and burn and are gritty most of the day I used drops blink tears and refresh pm at night.
A friend mentioned plugs, just wondering has someone here had them and benefitted from having them?

Please could someone reply back to me. I need some help

[alisonW]

Do a board search for plugs too - tons of members have them. I've had them several times and they always helped. The main thing to keep in mind about them is that there are several kinds and several brands. Make sure your doc chooses the best ones for you. They should not touch or scrape you eyeball when you blink - if they do they are not the right size, or kind, etc. I had to try several different ones in order to see which felt best. You shouldn't even realize they are there. They are definitely worth asking your doctor about. Good luck.

[NotADryEye]

Hello
My tear evaporate too quicky at 2-3 seconds. They sting and burn and are gritty most of the day I used drops blink tears and refresh pm at night.
(

Have you been diagnosed with mgd?

[ebel]

I advise you to check if you have MGD and what is it level. The information avoilable is controversial, as usual. I had read that people who has MGD can not benefit from plugs or can even feel worse. I thought that if I put plugs, I would return to the level I was after taking them off. Conclusion: this year I finally tried to put plugs. My situation worsened. What is saving me now is the autologous serum eye drops, which I had not used before. I have been also using googles since then (I had not used them before). And my MGD got worse. My lid margin is more inflamed. I am studying what to do. Plugs or cauterization never more to me. Although I have a low Schimmer, my main problem, as I experienced every time along two years and a half, is the MGD. I had searched for information about many plugs before trying them, but I couldn’t find any reports here on the forum talking about worsening after putting them. Although I think that something extreme happened to me, today I have an explanation: the retention of toxic tears did increase inflammation. That’s what I think, even though doctors just tell me that my symptoms did not make sense.
I know the plugs benefit many sufferers of dry eyes. Generally, people feel better, or, if not, do not feel any difference. I believe that what happened with me is not usual. But I think I should warn other people. Below I reproduce a topic that I placed here on the forum:

“Temporary plug – I put and got much worse. What to do?
On May 27, I put a absorbable plug of collagen. On the same day, I felt strange effects. My eyedrops were not firming in the eye and the Restasis also failed to help me as he usually did. I realized that I was more vulnerable to wind and air conditioner.
The situation was only getting worse and I was up with keratitis (something I had not for about 2 years). Two weeks later, I made up one irrigation to remove any residue of the plug. However, I continued very ill. In fact, the situation is hopeless. I still feel the same effects caused by the plug. My eye drops do not seem to work, my eyelids seem to glue or to stick in the eye when I blink and any breeze seems to resect my eyes.
I'm using doxycycline (which was good for me in the past) and steroids for more than 30 days and the improvement does not appear. I also have used eye drops every 40 minutes, even wearing goggles all the time. Contact with wind or air conditioning became more unbearable.

Has anyone experienced this? Can anyone tell me what is happening? Can anything be done to reverse this situation?”

[beclou90]

Hi
Thankyou for replying back.
I have never been told I have mgd. What is that?
I was just told my tears were evaporating too quickly than an normal eye and to use lubricating drops.
All docs seem to say are 'try these drops'.
I have another appointment on the 11th oct.
Hopefully that might be more a succesful. X

[NotADryEye]

I have never been told I have mgd. What is that?
I was just told my tears were evaporating too quickly than an normal eye and to use lubricating drops.
All docs seem to say are 'try these drops'.

MGD is meibomian gland dysfunction. There is a lot of information on MGD on DEZ that you can look through. When there is MGD the oily layer of the tear film is compromised. This leads to lid inflammation and evaporative dry eye i.e. tears that evaporate too quickly. In many cases, when there is MGD there are numerous co-morbidities, some in the eye and others that can be systemic. Many times the other conditions are not diagnosed or treated effectively as well.

Many of uson DEZ have seen numerous doctors who have told us to try drops or lid scrubs and have told us that we will learn to live with the condition.Some people find relief with lubricating drops but many of us do not. In some cases lubricating drops themselves can cause further irritation.

littlemermaid has posted a lot of information here on DEZ about doctors in the UK that treat dry eye, mgd, and related diseases. The sooner you treat it the better. If the doctors you are seeing are just telling you to use drops and the drops aren't helping, you might consider seeking care elsewhere.

If you would like to speak via Skype feel free to send me a private message. I have been through a lot with MGD and numerous co-morbidities.