Better at last.....please read

[SallyP]

Hi everyone, haven't been on for a while. Will briefly try and tell you what's made me better. I was diagnosed with MGD about 6 months ago, and have been doing hot compress, expressing.

However a month ago, I went to the opticians, and I mentioned I have 2 cats. She then pulled the lid up to investigate, and she found I have hayfever, and the surface of my upper lids were covered in small lumps. She said no wonder they didn't open and close properly in the evenings. It's not the classic sneezing and watering red eyes etc, but hayfever nevertheless. i've been using the simple hayfever drops 4 x daily, and have had virtually complete relief.

Strangely though I haven't been getting any oil out of my eyes since using the drops, which the optician said is because they were over producing the oil to compensate for the effect the hayfever was having. I cannot tell you how lovely it is to get my life back. Cannot believe I've been to a so called specialist who never checked under my lids, and I've been through 2 years of hell.

Please, please, especially those of you living in the UK, get this checked out, it's so easily remedied. I'm not exactly sure what the hayfever is caused by, but am going to have a test, which incidentally they do in Tescos (by the pharmacist) for 10.00 to pin point what is causing it, within a list of ten things, dust mites, cat/dog hair, mould, different grasses included.

I still worry that they'll come back bad again, but am happy to be well again at the moment. I will still look on the site, as I've made friends on here I am regularly in touch with and it's helped me no end

Very best wishes



Sally xxx

[avee]

Good for you Sally
I've had unexplained dryness for 15 years. It started after a terrible eye infection caused by chlamydia. Now my doctor says I have mild blepharitis. Currently my biggest nightmare is that I will develop some sort of allergy against cats. Because we've had lovely kitty living with us for the last 2 months and a new kitten is about to come next week. I can't tell my children we have to give them away and I am too attached myself too. But so far so good, i haven't noticed any changes in my condition, I'm just over sensitive when it comes to my eyes.

[jlg_uk]

Happy to hear it Sally

What drops are you using? Are they preservative free?

[SallyP]

Hi thank you both for your good wishes. I think when you have such poorly eyes, you do become sensitve and worry that something will make them worse, understandably. I actually don't think it's my cats that do it, because my eyes were still bad when I went away. I have a feeling it's dust mites, but if it does turn out to be the cats, they wouldn't be going anywhere!

They are boots own hayfever drops. Yes, they have preservatives in, but apparently I can get the preservative free version if I go to see my G.P. Bit loathed to change at the moment, because I'm so happy to be free of symptoms after so long, but once I get more confident that I'm not suddenly going to get worse, I'll look into that, becuase I know the preservatives are bad, long term.

Thanks again for your time in replying.

Sally x

[fed up kate]

sally

that is such a good news im so happy for you.
ive been told ive got those lumps but noones said what they are and now im thinking if it could be the same,
is that an allergy test they do at tesco do you mean.

but i was told to try hay fever drops but they contain that perservative in beginning with a b chloride thing cant rememeber what its called now so i avoided takin it.

its so good that youve found this out and im sure its only gona get better.

kate

[Stanza]

that's good news!!! I think I must have some allergy as well I've done a 10 point allergy test and it was all negative so if you come up negative go to your doc and get the larger scale one. Something I need to do myself.

don't stay on the preservatives too long in case they do make you worse long term but it's great that you're getting there!

[irish eyes]

sally

that is such a good news im so happy for you.
ive been told ive got those lumps but noones said what they are and now im thinking if it could be the same,
is that an allergy test they do at tesco do you mean.

but i was told to try hay fever drops but they contain that perservative in beginning with a b chloride thing cant rememeber what its called now so i avoided takin it.

its so good that youve found this out and im sure its only gona get better.

kate

Kate

There are eye drops you can buy that don't have preservatives but they're a bit on the dear side - Potters Allerclear with eyebright. I haven't tried them to be able to comment.

[fed up kate]

irish eyes

thanks i will av to look into them as anythings worth a try
theres still hope

kate

[EllMitcho]

Hi - thanks for this I have just gone to boots and picked some up!

CAUTION! The preservative is Benzalkonium Chloride. This is the preservative that caused my MGD in the first place (albeit through misuse) - I am going to give this a whirl to see if my MGD is allergy related but would not advocate long term use of this preservative.

There are plenty of articals on here concerning Benzalkonium Chloride (BAK) just search.

Anything is worth a try tho

El

[wetEyes]

Sally, if your dry eyes were caused or worsened by your havfever allergy, did you only experience the symptoms from spring to autumn?

[SallyP]

Firstly, El, let me now how you get on.

Weteyes, no unfortunately I had it all year. When they said hayfever, it's caused by an allergy, but it wasn't the classic sneezing, watering eyes, etc, usually associated with pollen, grasses, that usually comes in spring/summer, more the sort associated with animal hair (I have 2 cats), dust mites (with the best will in the world, difficult to completely eliminate) etc. Mine manifested itself in small lumps under the lids. I am going to get the test done soon, to see exactly what's causing it. Am a bit of a coward with needles, so will have to work up to it, but I'm hoping I can eliminate what ever's causing it (unless it's the cats), or certainly minimise it, because the drops I'm using that have given me virtually complete relief have the dreaded preservatives in. Although for now, I'm just happy to be better, obviously these aren't good on a long term basis, and I either want to cut down, or change to one without preservatives, eventually, but can't bring myself to just yet, as so happy to be better and function properly on a daily basis.

[catlover]

Firstly, El, let me now how you get on.

Weteyes, no unfortunately I had it all year. When they said hayfever, it's caused by an allergy, but it wasn't the classic sneezing, watering eyes, etc, usually associated with pollen, grasses, that usually comes in spring/summer, more the sort associated with animal hair (I have 2 cats), dust mites (with the best will in the world, difficult to completely eliminate) etc. Mine manifested itself in small lumps under the lids. I am going to get the test done soon, to see exactly what's causing it. Am a bit of a coward with needles, so will have to work up to it, but I'm hoping I can eliminate what ever's causing it (unless it's the cats), or certainly minimise it, because the drops I'm using that have given me virtually complete relief have the dreaded preservatives in. Although for now, I'm just happy to be better, obviously these aren't good on a long term basis, and I either want to cut down, or change to one without preservatives, eventually, but can't bring myself to just yet, as so happy to be better and function properly on a daily basis.

SallyP, I've read all the posts and may have missed it but what exactly were your symptoms. You said they were not classic allergy symptoms. All were the bumps on the underside of your eyelid or on the outer side? thanks!

[SallyP]

Hi catlover,

My symptoms were mainly in the evening, and started anywhere from 6-9pm. My eyes became very heavy and dry, and didn't open and close properly, were slow to move, just unbelievably uncomfortable. The drops generally didn't relieve it at all, and apart from one, Hycosan, actually made the symptoms worse, about 10 minutes after. Most of the time, all I wanted to do was sleep, although I wasn't actually physically tired. When I went to go to sleep, the eyeball felt huge inside the socket (best way to describe it), and when I woke up they'd be badly stuck together, I had to unpick them physically myself, and felt like I'd been crying the night before, that kind of bag under the eyes feeling, and would sometimes smart and water slightly during the day, especially in certain lighting, eg our local supermarket. I've just been there, because the pharmacist there does an allergy test, but unfortunately they couldn't get any blood from my finger and aren't allowed to take it from anywhere else, and as I started to feel sick, he had to stop, so I'm still not sure what's caused it, but am going to try and get the patch test done - something that doesn't involve extracting my blood!!!

[SallyP]

Sorry, forgot........

The lumps were inside the upper lid, nothing visible outside.

[wetEyes]

You mean really inside the upper lid OR between the upper lid and the eye?