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  • Every Improvement Counts!

    I have been hesitant to post anything in this forum for a VERY long time. I am so concerned that things could start to go backwards, but the more I considered it, the more I kept thinking how much I love to read stories of hope from this "community."

    I have suffered from dry eyes since May of 2009, although I am pretty sure I have been suffering since November of 2007 (without a diagnosis!). For the last several months, I have tried the usual staples of dry eye treatment.

    Here is what is helping me the most (in order!):
    1. Warm compresses (5 min) and lid massaging. I do this with a washcloth because I like the moist heat, and it's easily done in the shower. At first I did them 4 times a day for four months! Now, I do them twice a day (morning and evening) and find that this helps probably the most. I occasionally add an Occusoft lid scrub to this treatment, especially if I wear eye makeup (which I now only wear about once a month).

    2. Fish oil and flax seed oil! I take Lovaza (a prescription fish oil) and an over-the-counter flax seed oil. I take the flax seed oil in the morning and the fish oil at night. I also take a vitamin called "Occu-Support" that I found at my local herbal store. It's probably more for macular degeneration, but I figure that the extra vitamins can't hurt! Also, I am trying to keep up with a daily vitamin.

    3. Dwelle. I am a big fan of Dwelle at night. It has gone far beyond what any ointment EVER did for my eyes. I love it. And it makes me feel almost normal, instead of the disgusting ointment that makes the skin beneath my eyes feel like an oily mess!

    4. I was on minocycline (100mg) for 4 months. It seemed to help my MGD and blepharitis, but I noticed it was staining my teeth at 3 months, and gradually pulled myself off of it. If you have MGD/bleph, I suggest giving it a shot for a couple of months. As of yet, with continued use of the warm compresses, my MGD is staying under control.

    5. Dissolvable Plugs. Plugs help. I read many scary things about plugs, and I had one doctor who refused to give me them. In a month, I will be trying silicone plugs.

    5. Systane Preservative-Free tears. I like Systane! My latest doctor wants me to try the Oasis Plus tears, so I am giving those a shot for the first time today, but I've read good things about them on here, so I have faith. Anyway, I try to use preservative-free drops 4 times a day (at 4 hr intervals) to make sure my cornea is staying nice and moist.

    6. I have heard that many people actually do have some success with Restasis. Most doctors tell me that this is the only treatment they have for actually INCREASING tears and that it works in most patients, but not all. I was on it for 4 months. I had some improvement (increased tear production on Schirmer tests), but then I seemed to go back to the burning sensations that I had when I first started Restasis. I took a break from it, but I am considering giving it another shot for the full 6 months.

    Let me say this: When I was finally diagnosed with dry eye back in May, I was in PAIN. My eyes were burning terribly and my corneas were riddled with dry spots. I know that so many of you know exactly what that pain is like. I was also having corneal erosions on and off prior to that. I am proud to say I have not had an erosion since trying to take care of this problem (moisture is key at night!). I just returned from my latest appointment and the corneal specialist I saw said he saw very little staining on my corneas, so they are improving as I continue to keep my eyes very moist!! One of my biggest concerns was what the lack of moisture was doing to my corneas. The pain is almost gone. Occasionally if I allow them to get way too dry (spend too many hrs in the mall), the twinges of pain creep back in, but I carry drops on me at all times now.

    As far as tear test results go, when I was first diagnosed, I registered a 0-1 in both eyes. With plugs and treatment, I got up to a 10 in one eye and a 15 in the other. I have had varying results since then. Once I was a 5 in one eye and a 10 in the other. Last time I was measured, when my plugs had probably already dissolved, I was a 10 in the one eye and a 2 in the other (which shows that one eye has drastically improved!). I am currently struggling with getting both eyes to be a 10, and that is why I am considering giving the Restasis another shot.

    My advice: de-stress! My eyes jumped probably 50% in improvement when I went on my honeymoon. I really think a lot of this is hormonal, which is why it's so much more common in women. And stress does horrible things to me. Also, have hope. This may be something that you will have to treat for the rest of your life--but it can improve to the point where you are maintaining, rather than constantly treating (I am 24 and sometimes I think, "How can I bear to deal with this for the rest of my life?!). But you must have hope that things will improve. Every step in the right direction, every single improvement, is something to hold onto and remind yourself of when you feel upset. I just keep telling myself, "This IS an improvement. And every improvement counts." Also, there are tons and tons of people who suffer from dry eye! Oh my goodness--I had no idea there were so many of us! I hope that someday soon we get a "cure" and not just another "treatment."

    In short, I love warm compresses, fish oil, and Dwelle. These have really been the biggest factors in my own improvement to the point where I am not constantly thinking about my eyes every second of every day. Let me tell you--getting to the point where you are not consumed by thoughts about your eyes is a wonderful place to be! I will give plugs and restasis another try in hopes of increasing my own natural tears and keeping them on my eyes longer. I will try to eat healthier and de-stress and work out, so that maybe my own body will work through this challenge and improve. And I will continue to hope for moist eyes for myself and for everyone here. Have hope and remember that THIS WILL IMPROVE!

  • #2
    Thank you for sharing the great news, Andrea!

    --Liz

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    • #3
      That's awesome to hear. Gives me tons of hope!

      Comment


      • #4
        thank you for sharing this wonderful story.... I am so glad you have found a treatment regimen that is not aggressive on the eyes at all, and still works very well for you!

        Wishing you a merry christmas and a very healthy new year!

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        • #5
          Andrea, what do you think caused your dry eyes? Contact lenses, LASIK or something else?

          Comment


          • #6
            causes

            Here's my list of possible causes of my dry eye:

            1. Genetics. My dad could never tolerate contacts for a long period of time. When he would have them in for 8hrs, he would pull stringy mucus out of his eyes, and he always kept drops on hand. He's never been diagnosed with dry eye though, and he actually got lasik a few years ago because he was tired of wearing glasses and couldn't handle the way contacts made his eyes feel. LUCKILY, his lasik procedure has been a success.

            2. Contacts. I wore them for 8 years. I read somewhere that they can deaden the nerves so that they stop encouraging your tear glands to produce enough tears. That sounds plausible to me. I was a good contact lens wearer (cleaned them regularly, didn't sleep with them in, etc), but I don't think that guarantees success when you have other factors.

            3. Acne Rosacea. I have suffered from acne for 14 years. It's hormonal. The dermatologist I saw for a year literally gave up on me. She wrote me a prescription for birth control, which I refused to take. Please note: I was never on accutane, so that doesn't play into this.

            4. Stress. Stress has always done really awful things to my body. When I get stressed out, I usually get sick. When I had my corneal ulcer, I was sick from a virus (that started when I got stressed out at work), and I was stressed from a combination of several things. I do not handle stress well at all, and I am the first one to admit it. This also runs in my family--my mom suffers from the same thing.

            5. Environment. I believe that environment plays into this. My eye doctor told someone that she sees way more cases of dry eye in our area, than in others. I wonder if it has something to do with air quality.

            The two doctors whose opinions I value the most told me that they do not have a way of determining what causes dry eye at this time. It's all speculation. Here's hoping they discover some more answers on that soon!

            Comment


            • #7
              hormones are a mystery

              I wish these doctors knew more about our hormones (especially in women--no offense guys). I think our bodies are capable of doing crazy things thanks to our hormones, but no one seems to know exactly what sets off what chain of events. I can say one thing--inflammation seems to be a big factor and acne definitely has to do with inflammation. I took my first drop of restasis (for the 2nd try) tonight. I also spent 45 minutes on the treadmill, which I have ignored for over a year. I have read so many good articles lately about the benefits of exercise for people suffering from chronic diseases...could it help our eyes too? Endorphins, hormones, positive thinking, less stress--all of these are affected by exercise. So I'm starting my New Year's resolution early--more exercise, less thinking about these two eyeballs! May you all have the happiest of holidays!

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              • #8
                Andrea,

                I wanted to respond to you and tell you thank you for being so candid about your handling of stressful situations and of stress in general.

                This is a biggie for me and I would imagine a lot of other posters on this website.

                Getting our stress levels under control is half of the battle, at least.

                I hope you continue to experience improvement.

                - Rose

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by andreapandrea3 View Post
                  I wish these doctors knew more about our hormones (especially in women--no offense guys). I think our bodies are capable of doing crazy things thanks to our hormones, but no one seems to know exactly what sets off what chain of events. I can say one thing--inflammation seems to be a big factor and acne definitely has to do with inflammation. I took my first drop of restasis (for the 2nd try) tonight. I also spent 45 minutes on the treadmill, which I have ignored for over a year. I have read so many good articles lately about the benefits of exercise for people suffering from chronic diseases...could it help our eyes too? Endorphins, hormones, positive thinking, less stress--all of these are affected by exercise. So I'm starting my New Year's resolution early--more exercise, less thinking about these two eyeballs! May you all have the happiest of holidays!
                  Those of you that have been battling dry eyes for some time I know have pondered on the many reasons for the occurrence. As I am a newbie to this forum and to dry eyes I am feeling for myself the issue for hormones is extremely big. At 54 I have just had my first symptom of menopause and that being no period...nothing else, no hot flashes, emotional issues...nothing. But the same month my cycle stopped is when the dry eyes started. Now I am sure there are many things that have been going on that I am not aware of but I think it is interesting about the hormone connection.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    hromones and dry eye

                    A new concept for the pathogenesis of KCS in humans has been postulated.

                    According to this proposal, epithelial cells of the conjunctiva regularly secrete antigens or cellular proteins.

                    In normal states, these antigens are recognized by antigen-presenting cells and then presented to effector lymphocytes on the ocular surface. In parallel, regulatory lymphocytes which are also present block the action of effector lymphocytes, thus preventing the development of an inflammatory state and maintaining local immunohomeostasis.

                    This pathway is believed to be regulated by androgens which are responsible for the regulation of the production of transforming growth factor ß (TGF-ß) whose function is to reduce local prolactin concentration.

                    Conditions such as senility and idiopathic factors may reduce the production of androgen hormones, leading to changes in conjunctival immunohomeostasis due to the reduced production of TGF-ß and increased prolactin concentration in conjunctival epithelial cells.

                    This in turn would alter local antigen detection, favoring the effector lymphocyte pathway and thus triggering local inflammation.

                    Whatever happened to the androgen based medications that were in the pipeline??

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