Cure Blepharitis! No, I am not kidding.

[avalee32]

I'm a 21 year old female with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (causes a lot of hormone problems), a family history of thyroid problems and possible thyroid problems myself. I just saw a specialist two days ago and had so many questions to ask him I forgot to mention these things! I want to see someone about any possible links with dry eye but I don't want to pay another $200 for a consultation, sigh .

Although, PCOS causes too much testosterone rather than too little...

[eyes kaput]

avalee, see this blogpost by our admin Rebecca regarding a found connection between PCOS and dry eye: http://dryeyedigest.blogspot.com/201...d-dry-eye.html

[avalee32]

avalee, see this blogpost by our admin Rebecca regarding a found connection between PCOS and dry eye: http://dryeyedigest.blogspot.com/201...d-dry-eye.html

Interesting, thanks for that.

I guess the best thing to do at this point in regard to the PCOS aspect of dry eye is just try to manage the PCOS better with diet, exercise etc... hopefully this might have a positive impact on my eye health!

[eyes kaput]

avalee, I have PCOS too. I've had a terrible time trying to correlate the way my eyes feel to any effort I'm making (or not making). I was on birth control pills for about ten years to mitigate (mask, really) the PCOS symptoms, and my dry eye went from mild to severe in the last couple of months I was on them. We know that the estrogen in birth control pills can contribute to dry eyes. Unfortunately going off of them did not help any. But I'm with you right now as far as diet and exercise, I'm trying hard to maintain a low-glycemic index diet and regular exercise. Frankly, the misery caused by dry eye makes it that much harder to not use my favorites: bread, pasta, sweets etc. to feel good. But, I'm hopeful if I stop engaging in backwards slides, that maybe things will it get a bit better.

[avalee32]

avalee, I have PCOS too. I've had a terrible time trying to correlate the way my eyes feel to any effort I'm making (or not making). I was on birth control pills for about ten years to mitigate (mask, really) the PCOS symptoms, and my dry eye went from mild to severe in the last couple of months I was on them. We know that the estrogen in birth control pills can contribute to dry eyes. Unfortunately going off of them did not help any. But I'm with you right now as far as diet and exercise, I'm trying hard to maintain a low-glycemic index diet and regular exercise. Frankly, the misery caused by dry eye makes it that much harder to not use my favorites: bread, pasta, sweets etc. to feel good. But, I'm hopeful if I stop engaging in backwards slides, that maybe things will it get a bit better.

I know how you feel, it's been really hard for me to make any correlations, especially with birth control pills. I think I was just coming off them when my dry eyes started. I went back on them to see if it would make a difference - did nothing. I've been off them completely for several months now and haven't noticed any difference. At this point I don't know whether to be on them or not! But after reading the outline of the article you posted I suspect my dry eye may not be entirely PCOS related as I have a very low Schirmer's test result (3mm) which didn't occur with the PCOS women in the sample.

And yes it is hard not to eat all the good stuff when you feel down... I struggle with avoiding takeaways. To be honest I haven't really made much of an effort with the diet/exercise thing until recently. I know I should have been better with the PCOS already but the pain from dry eyes has made me a bit more motivated to sort it out. I also have a sister with PCOS, she started really managing hers a few years ago with really healthy eating and exercise, and also believes a chaste berry (vitex angus-castus) supplement helped to regulate her cycle. She didn't get dry eyes but heaps of her other symptoms improved and she just had her first baby without any hormone medication etc . Have you had any luck with doctors/specialists regarding the PCOS/dry eye thing? And good luck with your low GI/exercise plan, hopefully it improves things for you!

[eyes kaput]

I've not successfully inspired any of the doctors I've seen yet to consider that my dry eyes are somehow potentially related to the mess that is my hormones. Nor for that matter, have any seemed particularly interested in all the hypo-thyroid symptoms I have because my thyroid test results are borderline at best. It's not that I'm convinced either is necessarily the culprit of dry eyes, I would just like to have those seriously considered so I can rule them out, and hey, perhaps get treatment for the other symptoms. I contacted Serious Lady the OP of this thread for her doc info, as I live in the same area, but she never responded unfortunately. Really frustrating.

I'm unclear what my Schirmer's test results were, because my doctor seemed to only perform it as a formality and didn't consider the outcome particularly useful to any end, stating "If your eyes are dry, your eyes are dry." Also, he made the point (and one I *felt* for myself), that the strips seriously irritate some eyes, thus producing an inaccurate sample by triggering tear volume that wouldn't otherwise occur.

I will never go back on birth control pills because of studies that have revealed that the residual hormones left behind can have long-term/permanent effects - and I know I'm experiencing some of those, but that's definitely veering off-topic here. I wish I had never gone on them. They don't fix PCOS, they just hide it and mess up more for later. I wish I had been advised to treat myself via diet.

When I'm good about my diet, I'm less prone to get acne cysts and depression. My cycle though see-saws from one extreme to other so far though. Maybe it's worth being prescribed Metformin. My insulin resistance tests are always negative, even though I have been told several times I'm pre-diabetic - not sure how that works! And as I said, I do get some relief when I'm low-glycemic which would strongly point to insulin issues. I will look into the chaste berry. That is fantastic about your sister. And good luck to you, too

[Seriouslady]

Reply

Sorry for not getting back to folks. The cream is applied to any thin skinned area of your body (stomach, forearms, etc). It has helped a lot and has other benefits like I sleep better, etc. It has also helped to get my allergies under control. I noticed when my allergies acted up my eyes would feel worse. I am not saying I am 100% better but I am easily 90%. Look for a dotocr who prescribes bio-identical hormones. You have to do a lot of trial and error but it is worth it.

[eyes kaput]

Seriouslady I sent you a private message asking you who your doctor was, which you may not have seen. I live in the Bay Area and would love any help you could give me with locating a doctor sensitive to hormonal issues and eyes.

[jads]

Serious lady, glad to see you found the answer. Hormone balance was my cure also and now symptom free for 2 yrs or more. http://www.dryeyezone.com/talk/entry...out-of-balance

I too have used progesterone creams and androgen (testosterone) boosters. This helped immensely. There have been many studies detailing the use of hormone balancing programs or supplements that clear issues with dry eyes, not to mention countless other insidious issues that plague us as we get older. The key, as you say, is finding the right doctor to help you. Some doctors simply no very little about hormones unfortunately.

Note to Rebecca: I think it could be very helpful for members to start a list of Doctors who specialise in hormone problems.

FYI Progesterone cream can be found here also. www.life-flo.com

[Lacey1]

I'm only 25, do you think this is only something for those approaching menopause or those at any stage in their life? What kind of doctor is best to see for hormone testing? I'm afraid to spend more money on another dead-end.

Thanks so much for your information