Some things that have helped--Lasik three years and counting

[theggman]

Had lasik in 2009. Came out with severe dry eye.

Lessons learned so far:
Tried Restasis for two weeks. Could feel it help a little but expense and burning made me stop. I've heard this can take as long as 6 months. I may need to try it again and be patient.
Systane PF seemed the best eye drop for me
Have yet to try celluvisc a lot but heard its great.
I must have low serotonin levels because I had anxiety before my dry eye. When I had lasik I was over it but it came back after using eye vitamins (see below)
Flax seed oil caused me anxiety (anyone else have this?)
Fish oil caused me anxiety (anyone else have this?)
Hydro Eye caused me anxiety (has fish oil in it)
Theralife worked AWESOME! I was on it 6 months and it made things 90% better. BUT it caused me anxiety at 4, 5 and 6 month mark. I have experiemented alot since then and it keeps giving me anxiety. I have my own cure in my hand but I can't use it because it causes me anxiety. (No fish oil in it. Has anyone else experienced this. I talked to the Theralife Dr and she said it does not cause anxiety)
Going to try Subashli's indian herbs. I know herbs work because Theralife did.
Trying acupuncture. Committed to ten treatments. We'll see what happens.
I'm in a state of low but presistent anxiety right now but my dry eye systems are about 75% of normal eye. When I have no persistent anxiety, it drops to 20% of normal eye. In high peristent anxiety periods, my dry eyes are 95% of normal.)

When I speak of persistent anxiety, I speak of the kind you have to manage. It is with you all the time. It isn't over the weekend or because you had a bad day. It is because it is out of control. From there I work to bring it back under control but WOW does it ever help my poor dry eyes!

I wish I could block the anxiety though because the Theralife worked fro me. I was on it for over a year before I realized it was triggering my anxiety. I have a cure but it is so paiful to endure. I guess you can't have your cake and eat it to.

Above all, the Theralife worked best for me. If you haven't tried it. You should. Especially if you are not prone to anxiety.

Any comments or insights, similar stories would be great.

Thanks

Persistent anxety helps dry eye a lot. I've been able to have great weeks with no dry eye on my mind with presistent anxiety. not here and there anxiety but presistent anxiety. I know it's a double edged sword but I'd take the anxiety over the dry eye.

[Hopeful2]

What an interesting post . . .although I am somewhat confused! If I understand you correctly, your persistent low grade anxiety seems to be helping you with your dry eyes. I find that the opposite is true for me. I have had full tilt anxiety and now low grade anxiety in the past ten months, since my lasik. I find that when I can manage my anxiety with conscious relaxation, my eyes actually feel more moist. I also find that when I am eating my eyes water more. . . maybe due to the relaxation that comes into play as one is enjoying a meal. . . or maybe it is just from the action of chewing.

Fish oils are actually prescribed by alternative medicine doctors to help with anxiety and depression. It is known that fish oil can potentiate the effect of anti-depressants, so I do think it does have some kind of effect on our nervous system. Also, too much fish oil can bring on symptoms of dizziness (maybe anxiety is related to this?). Curious to know how the Theralife helped you? What symptoms of dry eye did this supplement seem to address? Also, if the Theralife gives you anxiety and you think that your symptoms are better with anxiety, then why would you not stay on the Theralife?

I think you are making some intersting observations regarding the fish oil. Maybe you can clarify a little, what you mean by "Persistent anxety helps dry eye a lot." and "I wish I could block the anxiety though because the Theralife worked fro me." As it stands, you've posted two conflicting ideas. . . or maybe I have just missed something

[abbygirl]

This is an interesting post!! It really makes me wonder if all of the supplements I am taking are causing me a higher level of anxiety. I have always taken fish oil and flax but I recently added Krill oil and Astanthin to my arsenal and I have been very dizzy lately.. enough for me to see a doctor who is running thousands of tests.
Hopeful..you mentioned dizziness from fish oil. I have never heard of this!! How much is too much?

[theggman]

Thanks for the replies

Sorry to be confusing. I know this is sooo weird. It confused the heck out of me and took me over a year of experimenting to figure out. Let me explain a little better.

I had severe anxiety during a life crisis 6 years before lasik and it took me 2 years to get over but I made it and was completely off meds.

The first year of Lasik was horrible for me but interestingly enough, it didn't trigger full on anxiety. I would have a rough night here and there but the depression was worst.

At the year mark I tried Theralife eye and it was the miracle I had prayed for. I just spoke with Dr Lily Yang (creator of Theralife and fellow dry eye sufferer) today on the phone about the anxiety dilemma. She has no clue. None of her list of clients has talked about anxiety.

Since you asked me about THeralife, here is what I have learned. Over two to 4 weeks of taking the supplement the herbs and vitamins go to the brain and down to the DNA of the tear glands. It begins stimulating them by vitamin rather than by the nerves in the eye. The eyes began to produce tears and its amazing.

After 2 to 3 vials of Systane every day, I got down to light computer days where I used NO DROPS. After a year in heck, it was my prayer finally being answered. It gave me so much hope and encouragement. One thing is that I still had to use gel at night.

If you have not tried it. YOU SHOULD! I used it for over a year and had great relief. I think I bought six months worth (once I knew it worked). The cost was about $450 a year. It was money well spent.

Now to clarify the anxiety. I was 4 months using Theralife and my family took a Disney trip. I was worried about the logistics and keeping in budget etc. Normal worries but my mind began to dwell on things and caused me anxiety. Had nothing to do with my eyes. At the time my eyes were at the back of my mind.

I survived the trip and a month later had some stress at work and had a couple sleepless nights that were unusual. Then a month after I was in charge of a big party that was very stressful and that's where the dam broke. My anxiety was back at the level it was 6 years earlier. Out of control. I had studied anxiety over that time incessantly and was READY! I took it head on with no drugs or herbs. I tried for a month! It kicked my tail. I couldn't understand why. So I went back on Zac and for six months waited for it to kick in. It took anxiety to barely manageable but I couldn't shake it. It made no sense. At the time I was taking Theralife Eye and Hydro Eye. That was it. At the time I didn't even think about them causing the anxiety and didn't want to.

One interesting thing when the dam broke. On the sleepless nights of anxiety I couldn't believe how well the tear flow was to my eyes. I thought finally the vitamins are maxed out. AWESOME!

AFter six months on Prozac I went in for a refill and got a different generic brand. Within a week I started getting dry eye like before (it had been over a year. I had actually forgotten. Can you believe it!). I also felt the Prozac start kicking my anxiety to 0 levels. As the dry eye came back I wondered for the first time if my vitamins were causing anxiety. Not willing to try going off of them at the time, I opted to go off the Prozac. I kept up the regimen of vitamins and eliminated the Prozac over a few weeks very slowly.

AFter that I had about two months of relief with no thought of dry eye or anxiety. On the 4th of July we had a little family spiff and the anxiety came on fierce for a couple of days.

It's then I knew that i needed to experiement with the vitamins.

I stopped taking one for a few days. I would switch and try the other. I found out they both caused me anxiety in different ways. I completly stopped the Hydro Eye and used the THeralife 3x a day. Within a month I had a huge anxiety attack and the dam broke again. This time I decided to go off everything. Like a miracle, my eyes stayed moist! It was incredible.

September last year i worked hard to get my anxiety under control. Started using St. Johns Wort twice a day, Kava here and there, etc. Sure on rough days I would need a drop or two but I was 90% good.

Then at Christmas (I am not using anything at the time except St. Johns Wort) I am completely relaxed and absorbed the day after in Christmas in a project and my eyes start to feel unusually dry. I was using the computer at the time and stopped and went to bed. In the morning my anxiety was gone! I slept like a rock. But by Noon at work, the horror had returned! I did a lot of praying over two weeks. I started the Theralife once again and started to sleep well. My anxiety levels started to rise again and the dam broke within two weeks.

It was interesting that it took about two weeks more to get my eyes moist again but they have been since Christmas. Although lately my anxiety has dropped down to a tolerable level and some dryness has returned. I again tried Theralife Monday and Tuesday and had a horrible night sleep.

Maybe I can maintain a balance somehow with low anxiety and moderate dry eye but this is a tough choice.

Anxiety can be tolerable or out of control. With out of control, I would opt for the dry eye. But the months after as I bring it under control again are heavenly for my eyes. However the vicious cycle repeats.

Can't I just find out why its causing anxiety? Remember it caused anxiety even when I never expected it to. So much I went on Prozac because I thought it was something different. Interestingly enough, the anxiety I experienced while taking the vitamins versus 6 years before was very different.

If all else fails, maybe in the future the answer is Prozac and Theralife. Only time will tell.

[Pinky]

stress and dry eye

theggman,
You may be on to something.

A 2010 grant awarded to Dr. Wilson and colleagues by the National Rosacea Society is examing emotional stress associated with fight-or-flight stressors that increase nervous activity to the skin, including skin blood flow regulation and skin gland secretions.

[Hopeful2]

Hi abbygirl,

Several months ago I had three of four severe episodes of dizziness . . . not something I have ever had before. At that time I was taking one or two tablespoons of fish oil, astaxanthin and a teaspoon of borage oil, along with other supplements (tumeric). I also was taking digestive enzymes to make sure my body was able to utilize the oils I did some research and discovered that dizziness can be a side effect of consuming too much fish oil. I have reduced my oil consumption to 1 teaspoon each of fish and flax oil, astaxanthin, and a half teaspoon of borage oil. I have also cut my tumeric consumption in half.

I think everyone needs to be mindful that you can get too much of a good thing. Also, many natural supplements have similar effects and can enhance the effect of other supplements. When it comes to fish oil, it is really hard to say what dosage is best. Some fish oils are more potent, i.e. they contain more EPA and DPA per ml. than others. I don't know that MDs necessarily know what dosage is best . . . mine didn't. I ended up asking someone at a natural food store and she said, 'oh there are people taking three or four tablespoons of fish oil!'. If you are noticing unusual symptoms, try cutting your dosage in half and see how you feel within a month. Also look at what else you are taking that could be having a similar effect on the body. Here is one site that shows how many foods can effect blood thinning.
http://www.ctds.info/natthinners.html

[abbygirl]

Thanks Hopeful!!! I learned lots from reading your link to the blood thinning/ clotting foods etc. Very interesting. I am also taking Tumeric. So, I am going to take your advice and cut my supplements in half for awhile and see how I do.

[LisaLis]

Hi Eggman, So you were saying that the prozac helped your dry eye? I am thinking of going back on prozac. I was on it for about 10 years for anxiety and stopped taking it last August and 3 months later that is when I started having my eye problems. Of course I'm associating it with me stopping the prozac. I just hate to go back on it again since I've been off it for so long. I still have anxiety but I can handle it. I feel like I've come so far by not taking the prozac. But maybe my eye problems are connected and for some strange reason the prozac kept my eyes in check. My eyes were good when I was on the prozac. I'm wrestling with myself on what to do next.

[SunshineinCalgary]

Hi theggman,

It's interesting to read you post. I'm not sure if Theralife or Flexseed will cause anxiety. But I have a strong feeling that any chronic condition (given the daily stress) will result in anxiety attacks or depression. I never had anxiety attack in my life until I had dry eye in the 4th month. My counsellor said it was very common for chronic condition patients to experience anxiety attacks or depression.

I was on Restasis at the time + upper plugs. If you have moderate dry eye, Restasis should work. Give it 5 months or so. It worked for me. My dry eye symptoms only came back when I removed my upper plugs. (but my condition was more severe to begin with) Also if your'e on Restasis, make sure you're not taking St John's wort. They have cross interaction and will decrease the effectiveness of Restasis. Good luck with Restasis and your anxiety attacks I always thought one day we should form an association called DEAR - Dry Eye Association Recovery. LOL !!!