My dry eye story

[sabine]

Because I didn't want to type it twice, I copied my email to madarka because she or he was so depressed today.

Hoi Madarka,

I don't know much about you but I know that you are in pain. You have to hange in there , because things will get better!!! I'll tell you something about myself. I am 35 years old, mother of 2 boys, 11 ad 10 years old. I live in Belgium, so that's why I will write mistakes because I speak Dutch.
When I was 30 years old I had lasik surgery which turned my life into hell. First months after lasik I was still able to work. I worked in a bank, I had a beautiful job and income. After 6 months my eyes became dry so I used drops, which didn't help. They evaporated almost immediately. I went several times to my eye doctor (who did the lasik) and he said you have to use more drops... The dry eyes became worse and worse and the doctor did do nothing to help me. After 18 months the eyes were so dry that I was ready to commit suicide. I couldn't turn my eyes anymore, couldn't tolerate sunlight, I had constant deep needles in my eyes, the pain was unbearable, I almost couldn't see anymore.... Then the doctor finally put 2 plugs in my eyes, below. They didn't help alot. I even took weeks before my punctate keratitis dissapeared. (these alre little wounds on the cornea)
I couln't go to work anymore and... I didn't go back anymore. I was a year on healthcare?? I don't know the word in english. Then months followed of experiences with 2 plugs and 1 plug (in each eye). When they put 2 plugs in my eyes , my eyes watered so much (despite the very severe dry eyes, a few doctors confirmed that they had never seen worse) sometimes and I was still in pain, which means that our problem is certainly partial quality and partial quantity. But the eyes adapt on two plugs, the overflow diminshes after a few months.
In all these years of pain , I never gave up, I was still hoping and saying to myself , that this couldn't be the end of my life. Meanwhile my eyes are stable, right eye is good, still overflow , left eye is still dry and need a few drops a day. At night things are worse ofcourse and I have to use ointment to sleep because otherwise I would hurt my eyes when I open them in the morning.
So I have 4 intracanniculair plugs and use omega 3-6-9 oils (liquid form) for 6 months now. I felt improvement after two months using this omeagas.
I honnestly believe that if you have severe des that you need plugs to improve, as in my case, without the plugs I would become blind.
Meanwhile I have adapted my life ofcourse. I sleep 9 hours a night at least, I have received a status of dissability, so I don't have to work anymore. For the moment the pain is very manageable, only my left eye still hurts sometimes because it is still dry despite the 2 plugs. For my left eye I wait for restasis to come to belgium, or something else will come up. I never thougtthat I would find relieve years ago because the situation was so severe and here in Belgium they waited to long to help me, If I had a good doctor then I hadn't to experience the hell I went througth, If I had my plugs much earlier then I would have lost many years of my life, because the only thing I did was surviving instead of living. Since I started using the omega I can honestly say I live again.

SO DON'T GIVE UP!!!!!THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO SURVIVED THIS KIND OF PAIN AND YOU WILL FIND A SOLUTION!!!!!If I did you certainly will.

What did you already try to improve you des?

Sincerly
Sabine

[shells]

Sabine,

Thanks for posting your story! It is so great to hear about people getting relief. I'm around 22 months post-op lasik and still struggling often, so it is also very encouraging to hear your story. I have the same problem where my left eye causes me the most pain, and hope to find a better solution for it someday as well. Good luck to you and keep the positive attitude.

Madarka, Hang in there, it will get better!

-Shells

[dianat]

Thanks, Sabine. Your words of hope and encouragement mean a lot to many people here. Your English is quite nice!

Diana

[Guest]

Sabine

Your story touched me.

I have been having my own challenges the past couple of days and your story helps lift the spirits and helps me to try to look at this objectively again.

I am 19 months post epi-lasek and have horrendeous trouble with my right eye. My left seems to be OK most of the time, it is just the right that doesn't seem to settle.

Thanks again your encouragement has made my day a little brighter.

Cheers

Prattstar

[painintheeye]

thank you sabine

thank you so much sabine for sharing your story.

i am 42 years old with a 6 year old boy. my dry eye started around when i was 28 after wearing 10 years of contacts. my dry eye condition comes and goes so i am lucky in that sense. i am currently in my dry eye period for about 2 months while being fine for almost a year. so i don't know what is the underlying cause of my dry eye exactly maybe hormonal? i wish somebody can tell me. i don't know why but this time i am losing all faith in possible healing from this burning pain. i am depressed and don't know how i am going to deal with this condition if it does not clear up like in the past. i feel helpless. i am taking all sorts of supplements that i learned from this site and others and i am so anxious. i also suffer from anxiety disorder for 5 years now and it is certainly adding to my overall depression. i find myself cry a lot and sometimes have suicidal thoughts. i look at my son and i don't know if i will have the strength to see this through. my doctor says my situation does not render plugs yet but i don't know because it feels painful at times. i am worry. i don't know what else i can do to alleviate this condition. i am lost. i know i shouldn't feel that way especially when i learn of stories much much worst than mine but it just feels like i will never see the light.

[Judy]

Hello painintheeye,

Boy, I feel like I'm talking to myself, addressing "painintheeye"!!! Please hang in there. It sounds as tho you need to go to a different ophthalmologist, one who specializes in dry eyes, of course, would be the best. The plugs seem to help soooo many people. If you can, try to see a new Dr as soon as possible! God Bless! Judy

[painintheeye]

thank you judy

thank you judy for your encouraging words. i was able to get relief after a temporary dry spell befpre. i don't know why that is the case but i ALWAYS had before this time. i am afraid now because i don't know if i will get the same relief this time. i just hope i still have the luck of recovery after a while. in the past 14 odd years that i have dry eye, i vaguely remember probably 4 to 5 dry spells and like i mentioned the last good period lasted for almost a year (or more, i didn't notice because my eyes were fine). you can imagine the worry i am in if the dry eye spell doesn't end soon. even though i have dry eye but i have not experienced having chronic, everyday dry eye pain so you can understand why i am so anxious if the future is bleak. i know i need to pull myself together and think posiitve. somedays i can and somedays are just more difficult. i will think about plugs but i see so many of you who have plugs that did nothing it pains me so much. i am worry if it's not for me either. i will give my supplements some time to kick in and consider my next option.

[calli66]

Painintheeye,
I think you would feel more hopeful if you could find a new eye doctor. I can't understand why your present one would not let you try plugs.

I just posted to Kaycen here on a different thread--I waited 2 years to try plugs, and I wish I hadn't waited so long. I DO think they help me. It is certainly worth a try, for you. My optometrist inserted them, not my ophthalmologist (who I don't find very helpful). I hadn't even realized before that an optometrist could insert plugs. It was certainly cheaper than having a doctor do it.

Please don't give up hope. At 42, you may be starting through peri-menopause, and have hormone fluctuations. That, in combination with seasonal pollen, spring wind (well I'm assuming you live in temperate northern hemisphere), may be making the problem worse this year.

C66

[painintheeye]

thanks

thanks everyone for all the encouragement. today i went to a new optham and she herself has plugs so she did not hesitate to give me plugs right away to try. she also helped launch restasis here in taiwan (that's where i am from) so of course i requested to try (no med subsidy though). so i am officially into my second phase of healing. still feel depressed because i am still relatively new at this. i don't know if i should keep a positive attitude about restasis or just accept chronic dry eye as being inevitable for life yet. i am also wondering if restasis will work on hormonal induced dry eye or just "inflammed" dry eye? so far, i can't seem to get an answer on that because if restasis won't work on hormonal induced dry eye then what's the point of spending all that money on something that will not work? any thoughts? chris c

[Guest]

Chris

I think sometimes we just have these things and hope that it is going to work.

Restasis seems to fit three categories of users; those it works for, those it doesn't and those that don't know if it works or not, there is a poll on this BB about it.

I hope you have success with it, many do.

It is good to see that you have finally found someone willing to give you plugs. At least you can try them now and be the judge as to whether they help you or not.

Chris the depression is something that nearly all of us here have had to deal with at some point, many of us are still learning to deal with it. I have had a couple of tough weeks lately but there is some light at the end of the tunnel, we just have to find which tunnel it is. This can really get you down. Hang in there, I am sure it will get better for you.

You at least have a couple of different options now, lets hope that at least 1 of them pays off.

Again, I wish you well with the plugs and hope that you find a treatment plan very soon that eases your symptoms.

Regards

Ian