Severe Dry Eye and Yellowing from Contacts ...help please

[IvyC2222]

Hello there, I'm new to dryeyezone. I'm 29 years old, I eat healthy, exercise, drink 5-6 bottled waters a day, and eat tons of vegetables and fish especially salmon to get omega 3s for my dry eye. I know this isn't a health related issue. But for the last few months my dry eye is now so severe I can't sleep because my lids feel like rubber on my eyes.. I wake up in the morning in total pain. I even sleep with a warm compress on my eyes...a fan is absolute hell.... I also have really bad yellowing. its now throughout both my eyes but I've noticed its darker in spots especially around the edges where I used to wear my contacts. I used to wear them all the time. (I can no longer wear them due to the intense pressure and pain) I've had 2 doctors say the yellowing is due to UV damage, and the other 2 say it's lack of oxygen from overuse of contacts. I also used to wear colored contacts half the time which I now know has even less oxygen than regular contact lenses.......As a general answer I was told to just wear my glasses now and there is nothing I can do about the yellowing which is now permament apparently. I can't accept I'm going to be stuck with severe dry yellow eyes the rest of my life. Does anyone have any other options on getting rid of this dryness and reducing the yellow somehow? I would greatly appreciate it.

I've been on these treatments and none have worked. I've stopped using them completely

Restasis
Pred Forte
Punctual plugs (fell out)
Drops
Rohto- burned like crazy..my right eye looked and felt like fresh meat for 3 days
Genteal
Visine (yes i now know this was a bad idea)
Refresh (every kind including preservative free)
Systane

Thank you,
- Ivy

[cathy8889]

Hi ivy,

It's sounds like you're having an awful time, I'm sorry. I too 4 months ago could not sleep at night without my eyes sticking to my eye balls. I was diagnosed with non obvious meibomian gland disease, have you had a definitive diagnosis? I have been on doxycycline for three months now, it changed everything for me, I have been suffering for two years and it all just came to a head earlier this year. I think my meibomian glands were definitely full of bacteria, I used wet ones (http://www.simplysunshine.co.uk/wet-...FQMYwwodkrwAmg) which contain benkalkonium chloride, they made a huge difference and helped up clear the bacteria I think. I am now using tea tree wipes from superdrug as they are less harsh on the skin surrounding my eyes. Ophthalmologists fail to express the glands when they are examining you, do you know if the ophthalmologist you saw did this? Do your lids look red and inflamed? Ask someone who hasn't any problems with their eyes to pull down their lower lids, I didn't realise how red and inflamed mine were until I did this. I still have dryness, grittiness and burning sensation but not as bad as is was. Do you have a burning feeling at all?

I was just wondering about the yellowness you mention, is it the entire white of the eyes or do they look like small growths next to iris? I have pinguecula and they are yellow growths on the eye in the areas of the eye
Which is last to be covered by lid when I blink.

Do you have a gritty feeling ever too?

Cath x

Hello there, I'm new to dryeyezone. I'm 29 years old, I eat healthy, exercise, drink 5-6 bottled waters a day, and eat tons of vegetables and fish especially salmon to get omega 3s for my dry eye. I know this isn't a health related issue. But for the last few months my dry eye is now so severe I can't sleep because my lids feel like rubber on my eyes.. I wake up in the morning in total pain. I even sleep with a warm compress on my eyes...a fan is absolute hell.... I also have really bad yellowing. its now throughout both my eyes but I've noticed its darker in spots especially around the edges where I used to wear my contacts. I used to wear them all the time. (I can no longer wear them due to the intense pressure and pain) I've had 2 doctors say the yellowing is due to UV damage, and the other 2 say it's lack of oxygen from overuse of contacts. I also used to wear colored contacts half the time which I now know has even less oxygen than regular contact lenses.......As a general answer I was told to just wear my glasses now and there is nothing I can do about the yellowing which is now permament apparently. I can't accept I'm going to be stuck with severe dry yellow eyes the rest of my life. Does anyone have any other options on getting rid of this dryness and reducing the yellow somehow? I would greatly appreciate it.

I've been on these treatments and none have worked. I've stopped using them completely

Restasis
Pred Forte
Punctual plugs (fell out)
Drops
Rohto- burned like crazy..my right eye looked and felt like fresh meat for 3 days
Genteal
Visine (yes i now know this was a bad idea)
Refresh (every kind including preservative free)
Systane

Thank you,
- Ivy

[IvyC2222]

Hi ivy,

It's sounds like you're having an awful time, I'm sorry. I too 4 months ago could not sleep at night without my eyes sticking to my eye balls. I was diagnosed with non obvious meibomian gland disease, have you had a definitive diagnosis? I have been on doxycycline for three months now, it changed everything for me, I have been suffering for two years and it all just came to a head earlier this year. I think my meibomian glands were definitely full of bacteria, I used wet ones (http://www.simplysunshine.co.uk/wet-...FQMYwwodkrwAmg) which contain benkalkonium chloride, they made a huge difference and helped up clear the bacteria I think. I am now using tea tree wipes from superdrug as they are less harsh on the skin surrounding my eyes. Ophthalmologists fail to express the glands when they are examining you, do you know if the ophthalmologist you saw did this? Do your lids look red and inflamed? Ask someone who hasn't any problems with their eyes to pull down their lower lids, I didn't realise how red and inflamed mine were until I did this. I still have dryness, grittiness and burning sensation but not as bad as is was. Do you have a burning feeling at all?

I was just wondering about the yellowness you mention, is it the entire white of the eyes or do they look like small growths next to iris? I have pinguecula and they are yellow growths on the eye in the areas of the eye
Which is last to be covered by lid when I blink.

Do you have a gritty feeling ever too?

Cath x

Hi Cath,
Thank you for replying and taking the time read my post. I really do appreciate it. No, the ophthalmologists didn't express my glands. They pretty much just gave me a routine eye exam and told me to take restasis. Thank you for the advice on on checking the lids...i have tons of wet ones at home.... Ill check on my lower lids with my best friend tomorrow and compare mine to hers. ....I actually have no burning feeling at all. Just very severe dryness, grittiness and headaches. The yellowness on my eyes are in little patches all over....tons of redness too...my eyes make me look very "sick" but there is no growth...i was told i don't have pinguecula but i don't really have faith in the doctors i went to. I'm going to try and see a cornea specialist. Thanks again -Ivy