Update - link between TMJ and dry eyes

[Stanza]

Well my MRI showed my jaw is fully dislocating on one side. So off to another specialist to see what comes next. It explains my sinus issues, my ear issues, my nose issues,....

[Eric]

TMJ and Dry eyes may be a pinched nerve. Trigeminal nerve???? Alfa-Stim???

I've had TMJ for almost 2 years. 1 year ago my eyes were great and then over about 1 or two weeks my tears shut off like a faucet. Mostly the oily part but some of the water part too. I was using an Alfa-Stim SCS unit at the time to treat some depression from tinnitus. Alfa-Stim units supposedly have a long history of being very safe. No one seems to think that caused my dry eyes, but I'm very suspicius. A couple months later my TMJ Dr TENSed my jaw. (Myotronics TMJ Treatment that I would NOT recommend for so many reasons) After Tensing my jaw for an hour, the muscles were obviously tired and tightened like exercised muscles do for the next day or two. Well my tears practically shut off completely. Each time the Dr tensed me, the dry eyes would get unbearably dry, and then come back to regular dry over a week or two as the muscle relaxed. This is provable and repeatable. The Dr said, obviously the tightened muscles were pinching off a nerve. I have read there are nerves that both the jaw and eyes have in common. The trigeminal nerve. I'm sure there is a nerve pinching off my tear production. So far, no help and no hope from anywhere. I do have a TMJ MRI coming up with contrast to see if there are nerves being impinged. The MRI will be done with function too. (to see the jaw move during the MRI) I'll keep you posted on what happens.

[y-gwair]

Thanks, Lucy, I'll continue my research. As you say it might help me give ideas, my doctor wouldn't hear about anything to do with my eyes/'sinus' pain, jaw problems being connected, but think she might be coming round...but we'll see. Best armed and ready eh?!

That's what my GP said when I asked, but I saw an ophthalmologist today who completely contradicted that, she said that sinus pain is very easily 'referred' to the eye; also that the inflammation I've been suffering in various places (mouth, skin, eyes, sinuses, hand joints) is almost certainly likely to be connected. I also have TMJ type pain (plus deafness/tinnitus/chronic otalgia all on the same side) which seems to follow the same flare pattern as everything else, but after 3 MRIs and CT scan, ENT failed to get to the bottom of the problem ( I eventually discovered that SSRI type antidepressants helped a lot with the neuralgia-like ear pain; I'd be nervous about taking them now as dryness issues are much worse).

[Filazafer]

I have teeth grinding, tinnitus, and dry eye. I would say that one thing all of these have in common is that they get much worse with stress. These things just pile on top of each to create a never-ending cycle. At this point, I am mostly focused on reducing my stress, but it's easier said than done.