minims?

[pretty.little.mess]

Hi everyone

About 3 weeks ago I went and saw another eye doctor (specialist in corneal diseases). He said that I have mild dry eye and it felt so good to be able to speak to someone about how badly this is affecting me. He did say that sometimes people develop a psychological condition and see their problem much worse than it really is (I think he was trying to tell me I was overreacting...) however he seems to know what he's talking about (the last doctor I saw told me to deal with it!). The new doc has prescribed me with Minims. He wants me to try it for three months and I'll be going back to see him in November to see how things are then. Now, I'd definitely say my eyes have slightly improved, however they are still extremely bloodshot. Has anyone tried Minims before, and does it take a few months for the results to really show? Obviously if when I see him in a few months time if things haven't improved I'll ask him if there are any other options. I'm not asking for a miracle, but I'm not convinced I'm being diagnosed properly...from my research, "dry eye" is a very broad term. The only symptom I have is red eye. No grittiness or soreness. No aching. No pain. Just bloodshot. Any input would be much appreciated!

I'm not trying to sound like a spoiled brat...I just think that there has got to be some way to sort this out!

[irish eyes]

Hi

Minim refers to a single dose eye drop.

You haven't said what your Minims contain.

I use a low dose steroid in this form but you may have something entirely different.

[pretty.little.mess]

Prednisolone...that's what is written on the little packages

[irish eyes]

Hi again

That's the same as I use - 0.5% Pred. I also use autologous serum because I have severe dryness and conventional lubricants / drops did not help.

It's good that your eyes have improved but I'm unsure what to say about them being bloodshot. The whites of my eyes are not that bad in appearance but the lids are extremely inflamed - and very painful.

I've had to use steroids on & off for years - all I can say is that improvement (comfort wise) is fairly rapid. Things are far from ideal but I am cautious about using the drops too frequently. Supervision is necessary whilst you use the drops - your intraocular pressure needs to be checked regularly.

Doctors can be very dismissive about dry eye; I've met many that seemed not to have any compassion at all.

[pretty.little.mess]

Thanks Irish eyes!

It's funny because red eye is the only symptom I have...I don't have any pain or grittiness or inflammation or anything. I'm no expert, but I personally think I have some sort of allergy or infection. The more I look into dry eye, the more convinced I am that I don't have it. I have two more courses of these drops before seeing the doc again in November, so if they haven't improved then I'm going to demand a test be done (can you believe that of all the specialists I've gone to, none have done a test?) So I will stick it out for another month before I see the doc again. It's been suggested that I go see a naturopath, so maybe once I've seen doc again. I don't make a huge amount of money and spending money on docs / meds / vitamins / drops makes me feel so guilty when I could be providing better for my family!

[irish eyes]

I wonder if yours could be an allergy.......I only say that because of a comment my consultant made when I asked him his opinion on my problems being allergy related. He thought not because if allergy was an issue, the eyes would be more bloodshot.

I went through extensive (and expensive) allergy testing a few years ago and nothing emerged - although my eyes were very bloodshot at the time.

I'm unsure what to say about alternative treatments because I have tried several and they were ineffective. One can spend an awful lot of money on this condition. Try not to feel too guilty about it though because your health and quality of life impacts on your family too.