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*Note: This posting is not intended to be medical advice. This is only my attempt to tell my story and inform people on what I do daily. Please ask your doctor before attempting anything that I do to manage my condition.*
I've been encouraged by another poster to write my success story as an MGD, posterior blepharitis sufferer. I also remember hearing that when people "solve" their dry eye issues, they seem to disappear and nobody knows how they were successful. Because I struggled for 2-3 years and tried just about everything, I figure people can benefit from my notes and what I am doing that "works".
I will try to be brief. I will also try to keep my criticism of ophthalmologists (and I have plenty) to an absolute minimum.
I had LASIK surgery in November of 2006 and things went mostly fine. I had morning eye dryness that went away pretty quickly after waking. I remember having a feeling that something was not right, but the improvement in my vision was good and I only had minor complaints.
I went overseas for a year to Southeast Asia and things started to snowball after about 6 months over there. I had swelling develop under my eyes and persistent dryness in my right eye. I started looking and feeling terrible.
When I returned to the United States, the issues became constant and it became "acute" very fast. I went to see an ophth doc that put in punctal plugs and sent me out the door -- no improvement.
To be brief, over the next 6 months, my condition worsened. My eyelids were red and irritated. It was painful to keep my eyes open. I felt anxiety and experienced panic attacks. Horrible, horrible, horrible. I shopped for doctors that would take me seriously and finally found one that would give me a diagnosis of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. I'll skip listing everything that I tried and only list the things I am sure helped me.
My dry eye story has two phases, classified by me and I am not medically trained. They are my "acute" phase and my "chronic" stage. The acute stage was that miserable, "oh my god" phase and the chronic stage is where I am currently, a "mostly good", sometimes irritating reality.
What helped:
ACUTE:
Restasis (kept in refrigerator, 3x/day), Alrex or Lotemax (helped bring down the inflammation), hot showers (was taking at least two a day), eyelid massage (expresses the oil), Tranquileyes Goggles (with moist inserts at first, w/dry inserts later on).
I also had 3 IPL treatments at the Toyos Clinic in Memphis. This did not cure me, but it did help get the oil flowing and decreased the inflammation. I feel like my last trip to Dr. Toyos helped me transition from the Acute stage to the Chronic Stage.
CHRONIC:
Three things have made a world of difference for me:
1.) Nighttime Protection - My lagophthalmos (eyelids open at night) and my tendency to dig my face into my pillow at night is a HUGE factor in my dry eye. No doctor ever took this seriously, but my experiments in this area have paid off big-time.
I now put in a couple drops of Optive eyedrops. I tape my eyelids to my cheeks with one piece of Adhesive Medical Tape. (by the morning the adhesive has worn off enough that it does not take any eyelashes with it) And I now wear the Eyeeco Onyix Silicone Sleep Shield. I also use two pieces of tape to fix the goggles to my face to prevent them from falling off.
I put a pillow next to my one side and I sleep on the side of my bed. This keeps me sleeping on my back. (which was very unnatural for me at first)
Of course, I put in more eyedrops immediately after waking.
2.) Heat treatment - I use the Thermoeye Beads Inserts 1x/day. I used to use the Thermoeye Instant inserts but they became such a hassle to use, boil, and re-use that I gave up. The Beads works pretty well, giving at least 5 minutes of good heat. (Just to prove I'm not an Eyeeco spokesman - I think the non-Bead microwaveable inserts are the worse eye care invention ever and should be pulled from the market. They retain heat for like 30 seconds. What a ripoff.)
After the heat treatment, I massage my eyelids to express some oil. Then I put in about 4 drops of refrigerated, preservative-free drops in each eye.
3.) Eye rinses (a.k.a. Lid scrubs) - I use a solution of 1/2 baby shampoo and 1/2 water. I tried using both the Sterilid and Ocusoft brands but I had bad reactions to each. I do this a couple times a week, but I used to do it every day and sometimes twice a day. I just put a little solution on my fingertips and I start washing the outside of my eyes, working my way to just inside the lower eyelid where the glands are located. I lightly wash this area and then rinse throughly with water from the shower head. (Be careful with all of this if you try it.)
Finally, I've made many changes to my lifestyle. I accepted the fact that I had a chronic condition that required my attention. I took Cymbalta for a few months to get a handle on the anxiety this condition caused.
I now am a big health food nut. I drink plenty of green tea, which I brew on the stove in a big pot. I add various healthy fruit juices to "infuse" the tea. I make drinks with Chia seeds (great source of Omega-3s). I try to eat lots of fish. A typical dinner at night for me is brown rice and steamed vegetables.
For supplements, I take turmeric (anti-inflammatory properties) and Nordic Naturals Fish Oil + Vitamin D3.
Over the past 3 years, I've also noticed a connection between physical activity and my eye health. When I had a "flare up", sometimes all I could do was go outside and run. This always helped. The endorphins and blood flow somehow made it better. I also do Bikram Yoga on occasion - the 105 degree heat surely helps my eyes and the balance it brings the body may help healing.
Bottom line - try things and stick with them for a couple weeks (or in the case of Restasis - 3+ months) to see if they help. If they do, make it part of your ROUTINE. If not, scratch it off your list. Go to your doctor for advice but don't be afraid to be your own advocate.
Dry eye has become your path. You didn't ask for it. It just happened. It is part of your story now. You will find help. Believe me. I was so sad and depressed many times. I still get sad sometimes when I think about everything I missed out on. I'm way behind on my life plans at the moment. However, when I realize how far I've come and how strong this struggle has made me, I feel ok about the world. When I connect with someone else that is struggling with a health condition, I somehow feel lucky.
Best wishes to you all. Please ask any questions. I considered including a list of everything I tried that didn't work but it would be a long list!
--LRDES
P.S. If you're interested in reading posts I wrote in my "Acute" phase, check out my blog: http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/blog.php?u=3228
Man, I shudder when reading those posts. That was a difficult time in my life.
I've been encouraged by another poster to write my success story as an MGD, posterior blepharitis sufferer. I also remember hearing that when people "solve" their dry eye issues, they seem to disappear and nobody knows how they were successful. Because I struggled for 2-3 years and tried just about everything, I figure people can benefit from my notes and what I am doing that "works".
I will try to be brief. I will also try to keep my criticism of ophthalmologists (and I have plenty) to an absolute minimum.
I had LASIK surgery in November of 2006 and things went mostly fine. I had morning eye dryness that went away pretty quickly after waking. I remember having a feeling that something was not right, but the improvement in my vision was good and I only had minor complaints.
I went overseas for a year to Southeast Asia and things started to snowball after about 6 months over there. I had swelling develop under my eyes and persistent dryness in my right eye. I started looking and feeling terrible.
When I returned to the United States, the issues became constant and it became "acute" very fast. I went to see an ophth doc that put in punctal plugs and sent me out the door -- no improvement.
To be brief, over the next 6 months, my condition worsened. My eyelids were red and irritated. It was painful to keep my eyes open. I felt anxiety and experienced panic attacks. Horrible, horrible, horrible. I shopped for doctors that would take me seriously and finally found one that would give me a diagnosis of Meibomian Gland Dysfunction. I'll skip listing everything that I tried and only list the things I am sure helped me.
My dry eye story has two phases, classified by me and I am not medically trained. They are my "acute" phase and my "chronic" stage. The acute stage was that miserable, "oh my god" phase and the chronic stage is where I am currently, a "mostly good", sometimes irritating reality.
What helped:
ACUTE:
Restasis (kept in refrigerator, 3x/day), Alrex or Lotemax (helped bring down the inflammation), hot showers (was taking at least two a day), eyelid massage (expresses the oil), Tranquileyes Goggles (with moist inserts at first, w/dry inserts later on).
I also had 3 IPL treatments at the Toyos Clinic in Memphis. This did not cure me, but it did help get the oil flowing and decreased the inflammation. I feel like my last trip to Dr. Toyos helped me transition from the Acute stage to the Chronic Stage.
CHRONIC:
Three things have made a world of difference for me:
1.) Nighttime Protection - My lagophthalmos (eyelids open at night) and my tendency to dig my face into my pillow at night is a HUGE factor in my dry eye. No doctor ever took this seriously, but my experiments in this area have paid off big-time.
I now put in a couple drops of Optive eyedrops. I tape my eyelids to my cheeks with one piece of Adhesive Medical Tape. (by the morning the adhesive has worn off enough that it does not take any eyelashes with it) And I now wear the Eyeeco Onyix Silicone Sleep Shield. I also use two pieces of tape to fix the goggles to my face to prevent them from falling off.
I put a pillow next to my one side and I sleep on the side of my bed. This keeps me sleeping on my back. (which was very unnatural for me at first)
Of course, I put in more eyedrops immediately after waking.
2.) Heat treatment - I use the Thermoeye Beads Inserts 1x/day. I used to use the Thermoeye Instant inserts but they became such a hassle to use, boil, and re-use that I gave up. The Beads works pretty well, giving at least 5 minutes of good heat. (Just to prove I'm not an Eyeeco spokesman - I think the non-Bead microwaveable inserts are the worse eye care invention ever and should be pulled from the market. They retain heat for like 30 seconds. What a ripoff.)
After the heat treatment, I massage my eyelids to express some oil. Then I put in about 4 drops of refrigerated, preservative-free drops in each eye.
3.) Eye rinses (a.k.a. Lid scrubs) - I use a solution of 1/2 baby shampoo and 1/2 water. I tried using both the Sterilid and Ocusoft brands but I had bad reactions to each. I do this a couple times a week, but I used to do it every day and sometimes twice a day. I just put a little solution on my fingertips and I start washing the outside of my eyes, working my way to just inside the lower eyelid where the glands are located. I lightly wash this area and then rinse throughly with water from the shower head. (Be careful with all of this if you try it.)
Finally, I've made many changes to my lifestyle. I accepted the fact that I had a chronic condition that required my attention. I took Cymbalta for a few months to get a handle on the anxiety this condition caused.
I now am a big health food nut. I drink plenty of green tea, which I brew on the stove in a big pot. I add various healthy fruit juices to "infuse" the tea. I make drinks with Chia seeds (great source of Omega-3s). I try to eat lots of fish. A typical dinner at night for me is brown rice and steamed vegetables.
For supplements, I take turmeric (anti-inflammatory properties) and Nordic Naturals Fish Oil + Vitamin D3.
Over the past 3 years, I've also noticed a connection between physical activity and my eye health. When I had a "flare up", sometimes all I could do was go outside and run. This always helped. The endorphins and blood flow somehow made it better. I also do Bikram Yoga on occasion - the 105 degree heat surely helps my eyes and the balance it brings the body may help healing.
Bottom line - try things and stick with them for a couple weeks (or in the case of Restasis - 3+ months) to see if they help. If they do, make it part of your ROUTINE. If not, scratch it off your list. Go to your doctor for advice but don't be afraid to be your own advocate.
Dry eye has become your path. You didn't ask for it. It just happened. It is part of your story now. You will find help. Believe me. I was so sad and depressed many times. I still get sad sometimes when I think about everything I missed out on. I'm way behind on my life plans at the moment. However, when I realize how far I've come and how strong this struggle has made me, I feel ok about the world. When I connect with someone else that is struggling with a health condition, I somehow feel lucky.
Best wishes to you all. Please ask any questions. I considered including a list of everything I tried that didn't work but it would be a long list!
--LRDES
P.S. If you're interested in reading posts I wrote in my "Acute" phase, check out my blog: http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/blog.php?u=3228
Man, I shudder when reading those posts. That was a difficult time in my life.
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