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I used to post on the board but have been absent for a couple years and so much has happened that I think I need to start over.
Summary:
Got contacts at age 13, never super comfortable with them (had dry eyes!), but at about age 30 developed GPC making contact-wear impossible.
Switched to glasses with an Rx of about -4.
Debated (agonized) long and hard over laser eye surgery, finally decided to do PRK since it had less risk of dry-eye complications. And I have relatively thin corneas.
Well, I suffered from terribly dry eyes after the surgery.
I have low-set lower eyelids that were probably contributing to the dryness, so an oculoplastic surgeon took two strips of tissue from my hard palate (roof of mouth) and grafted them into my lower eyelids (to raise the lids and therefore cover more of my eyeball).
This helped but I still had very dry eyes.
Went to a cornea specialist who prescribed Restasis, Lovaza (fish oil), and eventually cauterized my lower drainage ducts.
I was GREAT for months. (the eyelid surgery and the cauterization took place in late 2009-early 2010).
Ok, starting several months ago I began having problems again. I would get "goopy" stuff in my eyes that would obscure my vision. This started as just an annoyance and has since gotten to the point where it can happen in both eyes at the same time, while driving. Fun.
Then, about 2 months ago, my eyes went through a burning/aching/irritated phase that I attributed to my (VERY STUPID) use of one of those eyelash serums. Don't go there. I stopped using it, but my eyes have been getting progressively worse since.
Around this same time, I discontinued my use of birth-control pills (I was on the mini-pill - progesterone-only pill). I got a tubal ligation - so no more need for the pills. Maybe my hormones are out of whack now?
Now, to back up a little, the oculoplastic surgeon warned me that about 1 in 10 hard-palate-eyelid-graft patients end up with a "stringy tears" problem. This is due to the fact that the hard palate grafts contain salivary glands. In some patients these apparently produce saliva which interferes with the regular tears and makes the stringy, mucus-y, mess.
Well, my eyes seemed to calm down a bit after stopping the stupid eyelash serum. Then, the stringy tears came back with a vengeance. They are unbearable at times. I automatically thought "it's the grafts" and made an appt to see the surgeon again, dreading the possibility that he would have to remove the grafts and replace them with some other material.
But now I'm just not sure. When I read about dry eye symptoms, I have them all - eyes super dry in morning upon waking, burning/aching, watering, and the stringy tears. I've gone back to my warm compress routine and am using non-preserved drops throughout the day. I also re-started my Restasis (I quit it several months ago when my eye were doing well, oops.)
My appt with the surgeon is on Monday.
I'm thinking about also making an appt with the cornea specialist - see if he can get me in this week so I can get his opinion on what's going on.
I am so overwhelmed at this point.
Summary:
Got contacts at age 13, never super comfortable with them (had dry eyes!), but at about age 30 developed GPC making contact-wear impossible.
Switched to glasses with an Rx of about -4.
Debated (agonized) long and hard over laser eye surgery, finally decided to do PRK since it had less risk of dry-eye complications. And I have relatively thin corneas.
Well, I suffered from terribly dry eyes after the surgery.
I have low-set lower eyelids that were probably contributing to the dryness, so an oculoplastic surgeon took two strips of tissue from my hard palate (roof of mouth) and grafted them into my lower eyelids (to raise the lids and therefore cover more of my eyeball).
This helped but I still had very dry eyes.
Went to a cornea specialist who prescribed Restasis, Lovaza (fish oil), and eventually cauterized my lower drainage ducts.
I was GREAT for months. (the eyelid surgery and the cauterization took place in late 2009-early 2010).
Ok, starting several months ago I began having problems again. I would get "goopy" stuff in my eyes that would obscure my vision. This started as just an annoyance and has since gotten to the point where it can happen in both eyes at the same time, while driving. Fun.
Then, about 2 months ago, my eyes went through a burning/aching/irritated phase that I attributed to my (VERY STUPID) use of one of those eyelash serums. Don't go there. I stopped using it, but my eyes have been getting progressively worse since.
Around this same time, I discontinued my use of birth-control pills (I was on the mini-pill - progesterone-only pill). I got a tubal ligation - so no more need for the pills. Maybe my hormones are out of whack now?
Now, to back up a little, the oculoplastic surgeon warned me that about 1 in 10 hard-palate-eyelid-graft patients end up with a "stringy tears" problem. This is due to the fact that the hard palate grafts contain salivary glands. In some patients these apparently produce saliva which interferes with the regular tears and makes the stringy, mucus-y, mess.
Well, my eyes seemed to calm down a bit after stopping the stupid eyelash serum. Then, the stringy tears came back with a vengeance. They are unbearable at times. I automatically thought "it's the grafts" and made an appt to see the surgeon again, dreading the possibility that he would have to remove the grafts and replace them with some other material.
But now I'm just not sure. When I read about dry eye symptoms, I have them all - eyes super dry in morning upon waking, burning/aching, watering, and the stringy tears. I've gone back to my warm compress routine and am using non-preserved drops throughout the day. I also re-started my Restasis (I quit it several months ago when my eye were doing well, oops.)
My appt with the surgeon is on Monday.
I'm thinking about also making an appt with the cornea specialist - see if he can get me in this week so I can get his opinion on what's going on.
I am so overwhelmed at this point.
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