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So things have improved. I'm still visiting different doctors to find a root cause to my discomfort (appt. with an allergist next week), but I thought I'd share what things are working and what didn't help. A dry eye specialist diagnosed me with MGD. I had Lasiks 4 years prior to the onset of this discomfort.
What helps:
onion goggles - I don't use them anymore, but I think they are what allowed my eyes to retain enough natural moisture to start healing. I used to wear them throughout the entire day.
Cetaphil - I use a make-up pad and a little bit of cetaphil to wash around my eyes one to two times a day. Don't wash too much because it will actually dry you out more.
Restasis - I hate to admit it, but I think Restasis is helping. I've been on it for about 8 months. It took almost 6 months to see results. I only use it once in the morning and this is the only eye drop I use anymore. Pretty amazing considering I was using systane PF every 20 minutes at my worst.
Fish oil / sea buckthorn berry oil - I don't know if this helped, but my HDL is great and my LDL is really low. The rheumatologist I went to see was really impressed.
Sleep: Getting lots of sleep and periodically resting my eyes during the day.
Didn't help:
Lotemax and azasite : both just dried my eyes out a lot more
Using eyedrops too often: The dry eye specialist I saw explained using eyedrops too often actually washes away the beneficial components of what tears I had that help heal the eyes and fight off bacteria. This is where the onion goggles came in. I didn't have to use eyedrops as often because the onion goggles prevented my tears from evaporating so quickly.
So I'm not completely healed and I will keep looking for ways to improve, but I can at least work and make it through the day. So if you are in a bad place, I just want to give you some hope that it can improve. I still don't know why I've improved, but I am thankful that I have. Keep trying different things and visiting different doctors to find your cure. Good luck to you all!
What helps:
onion goggles - I don't use them anymore, but I think they are what allowed my eyes to retain enough natural moisture to start healing. I used to wear them throughout the entire day.
Cetaphil - I use a make-up pad and a little bit of cetaphil to wash around my eyes one to two times a day. Don't wash too much because it will actually dry you out more.
Restasis - I hate to admit it, but I think Restasis is helping. I've been on it for about 8 months. It took almost 6 months to see results. I only use it once in the morning and this is the only eye drop I use anymore. Pretty amazing considering I was using systane PF every 20 minutes at my worst.
Fish oil / sea buckthorn berry oil - I don't know if this helped, but my HDL is great and my LDL is really low. The rheumatologist I went to see was really impressed.
Sleep: Getting lots of sleep and periodically resting my eyes during the day.
Didn't help:
Lotemax and azasite : both just dried my eyes out a lot more
Using eyedrops too often: The dry eye specialist I saw explained using eyedrops too often actually washes away the beneficial components of what tears I had that help heal the eyes and fight off bacteria. This is where the onion goggles came in. I didn't have to use eyedrops as often because the onion goggles prevented my tears from evaporating so quickly.
So I'm not completely healed and I will keep looking for ways to improve, but I can at least work and make it through the day. So if you are in a bad place, I just want to give you some hope that it can improve. I still don't know why I've improved, but I am thankful that I have. Keep trying different things and visiting different doctors to find your cure. Good luck to you all!
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