How things are going lately

[Ccoughlin]

All,
I took a quick 4-day trip to Hudson River Valley, NY (live in MN) where Spring is about a month ahead, and was almost completely comfortable. So, despite all the pills, fish oil, treatments I do, I am happy and sad to report that I think I have an evaporative problem almost fully, and it doesn't matter what I do, but more like what the humidity is like. Does anyone else relate to this? The problem is I love where I live (Minnesota) and I have no plans on moving, but I clearly do better in more humid situations. I'm a year past Lasik, so hopefully this situation will continue to improve more.

Things to consider:

- I'm going to the doc on Thursday, to discuss Lipiflow and get a confocal exam

- I'm starting to track my daily pain level on a daily basis (1 being the worst, 10 the best) - that way I could actually see/feel the difference if things get more encouraging. Sometimes, I forget how bad it used to be (this winter was HORRIBLE - I hope/pray I never have another winter like that!)

- I fully watched Dr. Korb's video on MGD - very informative - I'm doing all the things he outlines - sleep mask, Systane Balance, maybe Lipiflow, Soothe drops, etc.

- I tried the saran wrap mask to sleep in - honestly, that worked better than any sleep mask I've bought - the others hurt the side of my side when I sleep on my side, and they irritate me - the cheepo saran wrap with vaseline worked well!

- I'm curious if this blurriness (slight, but noticeable) will ever go away - I've told myself that I'd just be content to live in glasses, as long as I can get rid of the pain, but of course I'd love for both to eventually happen!

- I heard that we're going to Hawaii for Christmas this year - that should be awesome (from a life AND eye prospective!)

- Question for Rebecca - those ladies in Nebraska that struggled (it sounds like they had a similar profile to mine) - did it just eventually get better and better - - do they have to manage it on a daily basis, or where they eventually able to have a normal daily routine? Still looking for hopeful post-Lasik stories for encouragement!

Take care all ~ Chandra (1 year post-Lasik, April '12)

[Rebecca Petris]

Hi Chandra! So sorry, missed this one and it was just pointed out to me (thanks LM!) - I honestly can't remember whether we've phoned or emailed since the time of this post but just in case... In both cases it was definitely a long gradual process. As best I can recollect, one of the two eventually went back to pretty much normal, while the other still has daily treatments.

I was reminded in a conversation yesterday with an old friend from here that so often the key turnaround you'll see in retrospect is not whether one still has to do anything for one's eyes but... the extent to which they consume one's attention. He was telling me how back when he was in the thick of it - some few years in fact of obsessing constantly over eye pain etc - he found it so hard to believe me when I told him I "never think about my eyes". (For me it's really just old hat, routine, background noise, doesn't-matter kind of stuff for the most part - even when like right now my eyes are really kind of rotten.) Anyway he has turned that corner and now realizes what it means - he has to DO a lot but it doesn't occupy his thoughts the way it did - i.e. he has returned to really living life not just surviving dry eye. Incidentally, he's post LASIK too

[Rebecca Petris]

PS - so glad you're going to Hawaii for Christmas! That will be an awesome break for the eyes at just the time of year when they'll need it the most!

[RFREITAS]

Really Rebecca? You never think about your eyes? I look forward to get there! Just not worry! Any advise?

[Rebecca Petris]

Well I can't honestly say I never ever think about my eyes... especially during the change of season (like now) when they bug me more. But I FEEL like I never think about them. It's like I said, somehow it just gets relegated to background noise, like our thoughts about all the normal trivia of life.

Advice... I don't know. It's different for everyone. But I think a couple of keys are knowing and accepting it will take an unspecified amount of time to get there (that's the hardest) and trying not to prolong it by harmful things like (a) over-medicating, (b) failing to address stress/anxiety/depression, (c) getting on a treatment treadmill where you churn through everything known to man in rapid succession, etc. (d) trying not to cling too tightly to an overly specific expectation of the outcome...