Michael's diary

[waterbee]

Hiya, I just wanted to thank you for making these posts,it brings
Me hope to see how your coping and I think to myself
If you can,I can too.
I was also a long-term gamer (mostly wow, every evening 7pm
To 2am) and then using computer all day for work. I no longer use
Games and that life style seems like a dream.

By the way, I tried tea tree and got some to close to my eye, though
It did not go into the eye, it stung for days and my eyes watered a lot, it's
Powerful stuff!

[DryMichael]

Hi All,
after a few weeks, this is my update.

I'm feeling slightly better. Because I'm VERY careful with my eyes and my work environment is a lot better, I don't want to rip my eyes off (only sometimes) but it's still far from normal. The wind outside, A/C and dry air is still killing me.

I was at another eye doctor today and I told her to do another TBUT test. My actual results are 8 sec for the left eye and 3 sec for the right eye. Damn, the right eye is struggling and yeah, i can feel this eye is a lot worse. I still have a feeling that I fu*ked it up with my tea-tree oil, it wasn't so bad before :/ But I asked her for autologous serum and I will make it done.

Thanks to my new friend from Czech republic and our e-mail communication, I have some new things to try:
1) Food intolerance - (not food allergy) - I might buy a do-it-yourself kit on the internet and I will make the tests. There might be a connection with dry eyes. But maybe not.
2) Coeliac disease - this might be a long shot but still - there might be a connection to dry eyes and the test is not expensive so I will try it.
3) autologous serum - already in process. I will definitely try it.
4) Dry eye clinic in Graz, Austria - he was there and they have some hi-tech equipment and they know a lot about dry eye. So this is hope for us in Europe if you want to get some precise diagnose But in the end, he was diagnosed with blepharithis and MGD and Demodex. Demodex is maybe the most important, because I'm now paranoid about it and I want to eliminate these little buggers. But not with tea-tree oil I have, it's too dangerous for my eyes. I need to find a better way. There seems to be a connection with ocular rosacea so if you have rosacea, you probably also have overpopulated demodex. This website seems to be a nice source of info about it http://www.demodexsolutions.com/

I've also bought a new artificial tears called Hylo-Protect and it seems promising. It contains "Ectoine" which is some natural compound found in several species of bacteria (google it yourself). I will use it for 1 month and we will see.

[khmedia]

Hi Michael,

You are welcome.

Great to hear your positive attitude. And this condition really requires it! I too was worried (and still am) about job security. I was thinking 'well what else could I do'. Even those closest to me had taken the doctor's statement and started running a mile. My wife and mother were even saying 'you could be a taxi driver'. Which for someone who has designed for so many years would be well - a big transformation! So even those around us can be blind to the condition. In my case my wife and mother took the 'authority' of the doctor's opinion and took it as valid.

1 year ago at the time of my really bad dry point I said after taking 3 days off on the sick on returning to work 'I'll do it one day at a time'. Then I said if I can get to a month. Then I said a year. And here I am still working as a designer. I got myself a pair of moisture glasses (the 7eye CHURADA - you may like these) and I've had them on for most of the year. I say most as it got to a point where I took them off and this lasted for a good few months. However now I'm back to wearing them given my recent worsening of the condition.

So yes. I went from thinking I was resigning and would have to become something else. I even remember asking the forum about job security for those who work in screens. My anxiety was very high. However that was then. I am optimistic that I can continue. I do have some new theories which threaten my future ability to work on screen and these mostly revolve around 'atrophy' however they are just thoughts not a reality.

[DryMichael]

Thank you Khmedia,
I was really angry about what the doctor told me. It was something like "your legs are not OK, you can never run again". No way man. This guy did it (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_P...istorius-2.jpg).

And I personally met a guy on a wheelchair who could only move his head & feet but he was still able to do what he loved - to play bass-guitar... with his feet & fingers. Yeah, he was lying on a table in front of the audience and he was playing AND singing. And it was nice. What an awesome guy. Everything is possible. There were times when I thought "maybe I should really quit my job because I can't do it, my eyes just hurt too much" but no... I believe I can fight it and make some smaller changes to my life and I can continue with my life as it was before my eyes went bad.

One guy from my country sent me a private message a few days ago and he has similar problems as me. We can exchange our experience now and maybe help each other. I love it and I'm more optimistic now

[khmedia]

Hi Michael,

Love your thread. I actually plan to read it in proper detail again later!

You said "Yes, thank you. I will quit my IT job and I will sell ice-cream... "

That is quite funny I know the feeling my doctor famously said "Sometimes if life if we find a job isn't suiting us for whatever reasons we need to find a new one". Hilarious. Needlesstosay I won't be going back to that doctor. I am a graphic designer - for the past 15 years!

Kevin

[woodart]

I would think it depends on how bad the mgb is(guessing). I use flaxseed pillows wrapped in a slightly moist facecloth. It seems to last a long time. I usually fall asleep so I don't really know how long it stays really warm but usually when I awake half hour later it is still slightly warm. But everytime I go back to the doc he asks me if I am putting heat on my eyelids. So I am assuming it has gotten too bad for the heat to help. But I keep doing it anyway in hopes it finally breaks down or whatever it does. I keep meaning to ask him about that theory but he is so busy with trying new things I forget. Everyone has different things that work for them. My eyes are not cured but taking flaxseed was my changing point. So I am thankful for that. And I actually was taking it for something else I was trying. Hopefully with medical research being done now we could have some more chance for cures. Still remaining hopeful.

[DryMichael]

Hi LaDiva,
I use them twice a day - one in the morning and one in the evening. I'm still not sure how long is "long enough" but I put a warm towel on my eyelids 4-5x for 60 seconds and I heat it up again everytime. It means 5 minutes and I hope that's enough because someone says 8, another 15 minutes is minimum.

[LaDiva]

Hi Michael,
I do not know how many times a day you are using warm compresses, but I must use them three times a day. When I first had dry eye, I only did one compress at night, and it wasn't enough. I am thinking that this might help you as it did me. (I use Rebecca's rice baggie.) Woodart is so right. No one can understand what we live with daily. They cannot fathom what it is like, and so they are bemused when we become so picky about what we eat, where we go and what we do. I have never had anything that didn't eventually get better and go away, but dry eye is the exception to that rule. I am better, but not well. Bless you Woodart. Fifty years is a long time. Best of luck Michael.

[DryMichael]

I moved to a new home last week and I hope I'll get a better sleep there. A good sleep is very important for my eyes and I was doing a poor job with it lately. I try to avoid stress and be more relaxed now and I think it helps my overall health condition (and my eyes). I continue with my blepharitis treatment and I can tell that warm compresses, eyelid massage and good eyelid hygiene are important and my eyes feel slightly better.

I told my boss last week about my dry eye problem. It wasn't easy because I somehow don't feel comfortable to speak about this topic. But it seems he understands and he will not move me to air-conditioned office in the near future (that was the danger i was worried about).

[woodart]

People who don't have dry eye don't believe us as they might have occasional irritation and do not know what it really is like to have dry eye. You have to have it to understand. Many a day and night it was in my thoughts to remove my eyes and end the pain. I saw many doctors over the last 50 years with this. Only in the last 20 are they coming around to this.

[DryMichael]

Yesterday I was at eye specialist. They did some tests with me which I think were not neccessary, but whatever - at least I know now that my eyes are fine with the exception of Dry eye.

The important part is -
a) Schirmer's test - my result = 15 (the second eye was even slightly better)
She put these small strips of filter paper under my eyelids and because it was done without anaesthetic, it was very uncomfortable and I wasn't able to keep my eyes open (I should keep them open but it's ok if I close them but she would leave these papers there for a longer time). I felt my eyes have some reaction and there was more tears than usual. I asked the doctor afterwards and she said that it's ok - the test is accurate even with eye reaction. Ok, whatever. The normal score is >10 so the problem shouldn't be here. I personally think I have no problem with aqueous tear production.
b) Tear break-up time test - my result = 5 sec
Well, this is the shi*y part. She put some yellow dye into my eyes and I was not allowed to blink. You can see the result. "Generally, >10 seconds is thought to be normal, 5 to 10 seconds, marginal, and <5 seconds low (with high likelihood of dry eye symptoms)." So yeah, this is the problem.
c) The doctor said I have posterior blepharitis. There are two kinds - posterior and anterior. I guess posterior is worse because the debris is on the "inner side" of your eyelid. I was recommended some cleaning gel (BlephaGel) and I should clean my eyelids 2x a day for 2 weeks and then once a day for another 2 weeks and we will see.
d) Because of Blepharitis I have Meibomian gland dysfunction MGD. My glands are clogged and that's why my lipid layer is not good enough. I should "do a massages" and try to unclog them. I will also continue with warm compresses because it could help too.
e) She also said the eye drops I use are fine and I should continue with them. She suggested I put them in the fridge, because when they are cooled, it would help me with my red veins. "But it's written here that these drops should be stored in room temperature" I said. She replied "It's ok, it just must not be frozen". I hope she is right
f) I asked about Omega 3 supplements. Does it have any beneficial effect? She said - 50 % of my patients say it helped, 50 % say it doesn't help them. So I guess she just didn't know and this is a neutral answer But I will just continue with them.

So yeah. I have some answers. I forgot to ask about Doxycycline, Demodex and Autologous serum drops but I guess I will just try to deal with Blepharitis and I will see another expert and we will see if she confirms this diagnosis. I always want to have answers from more people / doctors. At least I can show this diagnosis to my family now and they will believe me I'm not crazy and my eyes are really in pain...

[DryMichael]

1) I stopped using this shitty Omega 3 from GS (EPA 180 mg, DHA 120 mg) and I bought a better one + flaxseed oil

Optimum Flaxseed Oil
omega 3,6,9
Flaxseed Oil 1000mg
Alpha-Linolenic Acid 500mg
Linoleic Acid 200mg
Oleic Acid 200mg
Palmitic Acid 60mg
Stearic Acid 40mg

and MusclePharm Fish Oil
Omega 3
1000 mg
EPA 400 mg
DHA 300 mg

It's still not top quality but I have a better feeling about this and another thing is - There is a dealer of this stuff in my country so the price is quite OK. Thank god for these fitness guys

2) I started with warm compresses and my eyes feel better after this. I'm pretty sure I have MGD and this is a recommended treatment but let's see what the doctor will tell me. I just take a tiny towel, put it into a hot water and then put in on my eyelids for 60-90 seconds. After that, put it into hot water again. Do it 3-4-5 times, depends how much time do I have.

3) I can still feel my right eye. I can't believe this little accident with tea tree oil (see my previous comment) could do such damage. I think I will not use it again. But Cathy suggested different tea tree oil (Body shop - tea tree coll and creamy), maybe I will give it a try http://www.thebodyshop.co.uk/shop-by...eamy-wash.aspx

4) I have some trouble with my sleep recently (yesterday I slept for half an hour ) ) and it's really not helping my eyes But I believe I will fix this issue soon.

5) I'm going to an eye doctor tommorow and hopefully they will not be so ignorant about Dry eye as the first one. I will write about this in the next post.

6) I called another eye specialist and well... i have an appointment on 5th of June which is a long time (they have a lot of patients) and I'm not very optimistic about it. But I will just give it a try. You have to try everything, you never know.

[DryMichael]

I had busy 2 weeks - mostly out of my town (job, vacation) so I was doing bad job with my Omega 3. But now I'm back and I need to do it better.

When I went to pharmacy to buy my new artificial tears, I also bought tea tree oil. Someone suggested I should clean my face with this and it should help with inflammation of my eyes. I bought this one (Dr. Muller Pharma).


It says it's a "cleaning gel for your face with tea tree oil". Well, I tried it and cleaned my face for the first time. Maybe I tried too much and put some on my eyelids and it got in my right eye and SH&T !!! It hurts like hell. I knew in a second that this is bad. It was angry red immediatelly. Now, after a week, I can still feel it in my right eye and it's more red than usual. SO DONT BE STUPID LIKE ME AND BE CAREFUL WITH THIS. I want to continue with tea tree, but I will be super-careful now and dont put it on my eyelids.

I wonder if I should try some Omega 6, Omega 7 or flax-seed oil.

[DryMichael]

Hi Rebecca,
thanks for your reply. I will definitely send you an email, it would help, thanks.

I have an update. Just yesterday, I decided I need to do it and I called to a special eye clinic. Probably the best in town. It will be a little expensive but I believe it will be worth it. They told me it will take 2.5 hours and I should undergo some extensive tests on 2nd of April... I hope I will get an accurate diagnosis. Some drops will be put in my eyes and I will not see clearly for a few hours (and I should bring my sunglasses).

I'm looking forward to it but at the same time, I'm worried because they are not exactly "dry eye specialists" but they do LASIKs, which is something like the exact opposite. Still, they are the only one who at least mentions Schirmer's test. So what the hell, let's try it. It's my best bet.

[Rebecca Petris]

Hi Michael,

They can be used indoors too - you can get them with clear lenses or with the lenses that turn dark in sunlight and stay clear indoors. Of course I just mean about the function... aesthetics are another question. Nobody likes wearing this kind of thing indoors, but a lot of people do because of the relief it brings.

Regarding other moisture chamber options - I will eventually have some Nereus returns, I'm sure, and I usually keep them to sell with a steep discount (like 35-40%) in the dry eye shop rather than sending them back to the manufacturer, and sometimes I even get donated glasses to pass on at no cost, so feel free to email if I can help out somehow.

I saw your note on the onion goggles. Yes, unfortunately foams can cause itching on the skin. The onion goggles foam is not as high quality as what they use on 7Eye or WileyX but some people have problems with those too. So some kind of silicone eyecup would probably be better. But remember for indoor use you don't have to have something that goes right to your skin to get some benefit. You could try fixing some foam onto a regular pair of glasses, trim it down to have a small gap and see how that goes.

Make sure you keep your monitor as low as possible, and adjust the brightness settings, and have some kind of visual reminder to blink more often. All these things together can help.

It's often difficult to get good medical attention for dry eye. If you can't get to a better eye doctor or specialist, you might still be able to get more information from the one you went to by going in with some very specific questions and requesting specific tests. If they can't do them, they really must refer you to someone who can. If they refuse to take you seriously just because your eyes look 'ok' under the slitlamp, consider also completing the OSDI questionnaire and taking it in to put in your records as it will assign a number to your symptom severity.

Thanks for joining & sharing...